#I'll try and get clearer ones later on

[mollificen]

TW FOR HOMOPHOBIA AND RACISM

I'm currently watching Disney's "Strange World" with my family.

It features an mixed race, gay protagonist.

Disney barely promoted this film, but the conservatives still found it:

Here's the ridiculous parts of the 1-star google reviews of the film I've found so far:

[docdudo]

Hybrid 141 As Parents - Foster Human Child!Reader (Part 3)

When you woke up, it wasn't that much later. Maybe an hour later at most, which was normal for you. You weren't a heavy sleeper, but to be fair, hard to find any heavy sleepers in the foster system. You also hadn't moved an inch from your position during your light sleep. The bed almost looked like it was made, except for the small imprint of a person on top of the soft blankets.

The room was the same as it was before, the door was closed and the curtains drawn, none of the foster parents came into the room after they left you to unpack. Well, "unpack". You didn't really do that, you kept your clothes inside your backpack and the backpack safely tucked under the bed.

Just... precation.

The house was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that you immediatly shuffled over to the door and opened to try and pin point where anyone could be. It wasn't hard, you could faintly hear low voices downstairs, where you think it's the kitchen. You don't really remember much from the tour.

You weren't sure what to do now, but you just closed the door behind you quietly as your feet, padded by only your socks since you left your sneakers by the bed, gently made their way back down stairs. The voices only got clearer as you made your way down, getting closer to the kitchen that smelled extremelly good, close enough, in fact, that you flinched for a second as soon as you heard a loud, booming laugh.

"Oi, ya prick!! Stop that!" The scottish guy, the werewolf, yelled, laughing.

"Shhhh, the chick...!" The harpy quickly reprimended, even tho he was also laughing, much quieter.

"Not a chick, are they, Garrick?" A low, low voice sounded it out, and due to process of elimination, it could only be the wraith. Simon, if you remeber correctly. He looked so serious when you first saw him, but his tone now sounded just amused.

"Oh, please, you get what i mean..." The harpy scoffs, sounding amused as well. "What do you call a human chick?"

"Not a chick, that's for sure." Johnny laughs.

"Isn't it just like, 'baby'?" John suggests, apperantly shrugging a bit.

"I'll call 'er pup!" The werewolf immediatly ignores John's words, only for them all to start laughing.

"Such a little fledgling..." Simon sighs after they all quiet down a little. "I'm not sure how to take care of a human..."

"Ey, big guy, we'll learn!" Johnny smiles easily, giving one of his mates a heavy pat on the back. "I mean... wee lass looks frail as hell, but... we had babies before. Be a bit more confident!"

"No, I get Simon. I'm worried we might overlook their needs accidentaly." The dragon sighs. "I think I got it, but it still worries me."

You fidget a little on the wall you were leaning against. You wish you could sooth their worries. You didn't really need anything special, humans were adaptive. Very adaptive. You'll fit in, one way or another.

"You heard the social worker." Simon grunts, the sound alerting you for a second. "Call if we need anything."

You can hear the loud scoff John lets out at that, and for a second, the smell of smoke reached your nose.

"I don't need help to take care of my hoard."

The growl made your body instinctively lock up, quiet breathing catching on your throat as your eyes widen for a second. It's only when Johnny and Kyle laugh that you manage to calm down a little.

"Daddy Price is not one to take advice from others, huh?" Kyle laughs quietly, smooth and gentle voice that only makes the provocation sounds worse.

"Bastard never was." Johnny laughs back, shaking his head in amusement.

"That's it, shut it, the both of you." John growls once again, quieter this time, not really mad, just annoyed at best. "Besides, apperantly, i do know better. That woman brought the hatchling here in this cold wearing only a fucking light jacket."

"Dinner is ready." Simon's heavy voice announces, interrupting the banter. "Who's gonna call the fledgling?"

"ME!"

"I can go."

Both Johnny and Kyle glared at eachother as they spoke at the same time, which only made Simon grunt.

"Kyle can go. Fucking mutt being all loud like this is gonna scare off the fledgling."

Another growl sounded out, this one, different from John's. This one was Johnny's, and made you terrifed all the same as you made your way to the living room on the other side of the stairs, your pace just a little bit desperate thanks to the growl and the fight.

Thanks to your human nature, you couldn't really tell it was more of a playful growl than an annoyed growl. (They were also not figthing, that's just the way they spoke with eachother, but you just got here, don't expect to know that yet).

Your eyes fell into the cozy living room. It looked... mostly like normal living rooms, but you could still see some kind of... nest thing to the side, close to the fireplace, with confortable pillows and blankets. The couches also had a lot of them. You didn't know they liked confort that much, but you suppose it's not... a bad thing.

"They're not-!"

You startle immediatly at the half-shout, turning around to make eye contact with a slightly desperate Kyle, giant wings opened in despair as his feathers perked up. As you both stare at eachother in alarm, his wings started to close behind him again, feathers still looking just a bit frazzled.

"Oh, hatchling, don't scare me like that..." He crooned softly, crooned, eyes going all gentle as he approached.

The croon caught you a bit off guard as you kept your guard up, eyes wide still looking at his direction. You didn't hear these weird noises often, even if you had basically only hybrid classmates at school. The croon sounded weird, but also... soft. Conforting, you could say.

"I though you had left." He murmur quietly, kneeling in front of you to try and get closer to your height. It didn't work very well, as he was still bigger even tho he was kneeling. If anything, it only made you more scared. "You're a quiet little thing, huh? Don't be scared, baby, i'm safe..." He crooned again, all soft and gooey.

Like he wasn't being all snarky and ironic with his mates just seconds ago.

Freaking... wolf in sheep clothing........... and he's not even the werewolf.

You finally managed to calm down a bit, as you breathed in quietly and nodded at him, curling just a little bit into your own body. You could see his wings shuffling at his sides, hands opening for a second before they were forced into fists quickly (before they could reach for you).

"We have dinner ready, sweetie. You'll like Si's food, he's a very good cook. Well, we all are." He smiles a bit, like he was boosting himself as a little joke. "It's cold, so we made stew. It's chicken noddle stew, do you like it, baby?"

The... baby voice, the very subtle baby voice was certainly... embarrassing. Tho, you still nodded quietly at his gentle and quiet tone, making him smile a bit bigger.

"Let's go eat then, uh?"

He murmured gently, giant hand with talons closing around your much smaller hand, so small it was completely enveloped by his warmth. You didn't really want to hold his hand, but he didn't give you much option, as he got up, still slightly bend down, and gently tugged you with him to the kitchen.

You followed.

[emiquety]

Kinktober Day 1 - Dry Humping

Teacher!Choso x Reader

summary: Choso had been getting hot and bothered all day, and you don't have enough time between your breaks to have intercourse, so he'll just have to settle.

warnings: 18+, MDNI please, cursing, classroom sex, dry humping, implied chubby reader, fem!reader, AFAB!reader, teacher!reader, risky sex, almost caught, dirty talk, and clothed sex.

Word Count: 1,726

Hope you enjoy!!!

"Choso, can you help me with something?" You asked walking into Choso's empty classroom. Choso was the math teacher in the room right next to yours, so it was almost natural the two of you became friends while working together. You would subtly flirt with him most days, finding him extremely handsome, and more recently he'd been reciprocating. It was currently lunch hour for your classes and you were trying to get your next assignment ready for tomorrow.

He lifts his tired eyes up from his own computer, a light blush across his cheeks as he clears his throat. "Yeah, what do you need?" He asked in his usual monotone voice. His hair was pulled back in a half up half down style, a cute messy bun at the back of his head, and strands framing his face every which way.

You smiled and walked towards his desk, standing next to his chair before taking a sit atop of the desk, thighs almost touching his computer. "I'm trying to post this assignment, but every time I reload my screen after posting- it goes back to being a draft." You explain as you sit your laptop open on your thighs and quickly login. You shift the laptop so he can see it clearer.

He lets out a soft hum and turns slightly in his chair, now facing you. His eyes couldn't help but linger on your thighs- how big they looked squished down when you sat. The black denim fabric complimenting the maroon colored top you wore. He clears his throat once again and leans closer to you, his eyes flitting up from your thigh to the screen.

Your eyes trail over his features, noting how pretty that scar always looked across his nose, the tired eyebags under his dark colored eyes, and how kissable his bruised lips looked.

He let out another hum and moved closer to you, typing away on your laptop as it remains on your thighs, his hands gliding over the keyboard effortlessly. After a few minutes he pulled back with a soft sigh.

"It should work now." he mumbled. You tilt your head and look down at the screen, a small smile playing on your lips. "Good boy, cho!" You said without thinking, reaching a hand out and ruffling his head. A soft almost unnoticeable whimper left his lips, the blush on his cheeks heavier than before. You hop off his desk and turn away from him, ready to head back to your own classroom. "I'll thank ya for it later!"

Suddenly his hands were on your waist, pulling you back against him, his body pressed up against your back as he lets out low grunts. "thank me for it now." He whimpers out, an almost pleading voice. Your eyes had gone wide as you tilted your head back to look up at him. He leaned down, face in the crook of your neck as he breathed in your scent deeply before exhaling with a slight whine.

Your mouth fell agape as you felt his hard and twitching cock against your back. "Ch-Choso!" You had gasped out. You had assumed after he started flirting back he felt the same about you- but you never expected the shy and quiet math teacher to be so bold.

He let out a groan and turned you to face his desk, one of his hands sliding up from your waist to grip your hair and tug your head to the side as his hips pressed you against his desk. "Need you," He growled into your ear, "please" His growl turned into a desperate whine as he begged. His hips were grinding against yours as he rubbed his clothed cock between the globes of your ass, breathy whimpers and grunts leaving his lips. "Please, baby!" He whined out again, his breath hitting your neck.

You deeply swallowed trying to find your voice once again. "Ch-Choso, there's not enough time!" You had managed to stutter out. Your thighs were squished against the edge of his desk, pushing into it as he grinds into you. "The students will be heading back in ten minutes!" I gasped out.

He groans and pushes your head down, forcing you to lay your upper half across his desk, chest pressed firmly against the top of it. You couldn't hold back the moan from passing your lips, the way he was manhandling you was turning you on beyond belief.

With one hand in your hair pushing your head down and the other holding your hips in place as he starts digging his clothed cock up and down against your clothed crotch. "I don't care!" He growled from above you, staring at your bent over frame. "Been thinking about you all day. How pretty you look! How good your ass looks in these stupid tight pants!" He's grunting out each thought as he rubs his aching cock against you. His hand from your waist let go and shot down against your ass, giving a loud 'clap' as his hand makes harsh contact with your denim covered skin. A yelped moan leaves your lips and your eyes widen. "Choso!" You moaned out, the pressure of his cock pushing against where you wanted him most and the firm smack he just gave you sending shocks of pleasure through your veins.

He lets out another groan and roughly pulls down your pants just under where your thighs start. His eyes narrowed at the sight of your purple laced panties, a growl escaping from the back of his throat. He slaps his hand back down on your right cheek, a red mark staining your ass from how hard he hit. You let out a whiny moan at the stinging sensation, your cheeks heating as you stare at the open classroom door.

With the same hand he used to pull your pants down he undoes his own pants and pulls out his throbbing member from his black boxers. He pushed his cock against your clothed entrance and pushed forward, causing his tip to slide downward and hit your cloth covered clit.

Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open as the unexpected stimulation draws out a moan. He was trusting against your clit, hand still in your hair- tugging it lightly, and soft grunts coming from his throat. "F-fuck-!" He whimpered out. Both of your breathing is heavy with pleasured moans mixing with each pant.

Each thrust against your clit drives you closer to your edge, the sensation of your hair getting pulled back adding to your pleasure. Every grunt escaping his lips felt like praise. "Ch-o-oso~!" You moaned out, your eyes never once leaving the open doorway of his classroom. "M-more~" The plea left your lips without you even really thinking about it.

His eyes narrowed and he quickened his pace, head now pounding about your clit. "Such a good girl." He growled out, his deep voice shaky. Your thighs clenched together, adding more pressure and resistance to his cock as he continued thrusting against your clothed pussy. He let out a shaky whine and lost his rhythm as his legs started shaking. "P-please let me c-cum~!" He whined in a desperate tone.

You nodded your head as best you could, giving him permission to tip over the edge of his orgasm. His head tilted back a his teeth dug into his lips and a muffled whine escaped his throat. He bucked his hips against yours a few more times until you felt warm liquid shooting against your clit. The throbbing of his head against your sensitive bud and the spurts of cum coating your panties was almost enough for you to cum as well. You couldn't help but let out moaned whines- wishing to orgasm as well. You were disappointed at the unsatisfying feeling of not cumming- until his tip started to rub and grind against your clit, the unexpected motion pushing a moan out of you.

He bent over and laid his top half against your back, his toned body pushing against you. "C'mon, baby. Come for me." He said in a whiny tone against your ear, softly kissing your neck. He continued rubbing his still throbbing cock against your sensitive bud, the pressure of your climax reaching it's tip once again.

You started to babble on as your hands pawed and clawed at his desk, trying to ground yourself as an orgasm starts to ripple through you. Your jaw hung slack, eyes dazed and unfocused, breath hitching, and body tensing as he continued to rub against your clit with his tip.

Suddenly the bell had rung, signaling lunch time was over and students would be coming back for class.

You let out a soft strained hum. thickly swallowing before pushing yourself up on your elbows. Choso lets out a sigh and kisses your neck one last time before pulling himself back, no longer laying on you. "I'm sorry- I should've p-pulled out before cumming! L-let me help you clean up." Choso begins stammering out his words as he reaches for a tissue. You look back to see his cheeks crossed with a blush, a smile taking place on your lips.

He quickly stands behind you again and wipes away his cum from your panties, gently stroking as you squirm from the pressure against your oversensitive bud. "Shhhh, it's ok." He whispers gently before throwing away the tissue and pulling up your pants. You let out a shaky breath and stand up straight, grabbing on to his bicep for support as he zips up his pants. "You ok?" He asks quietly.

You nod and lean against his desk and trace your fingers against your laptop. "It was great." You mutter as a heat prickles at your cheeks again.

Just then a pair of boys walked into the class, chattering as they walked towards their seats. You take a deep shaky breath before turning to face Choso. "Thanks for helping me." You said with a bashful smile. His eyes looked down at your face before he nodded, a small smile tugging on his lips.

More students filtered through the class and he let out a soft sigh. "I'll meet you... after school?" He says in a questioning tone, his hopeful eyes looking into yours. You nod and place a hand on his bicep. "I'll be in my room."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright chat, I hope day 1 was good! Tips on writing are always appreciated! Slowly catching up with my prompts so I should be getting Day 2 out by the end of the night as well. Let me know what you thought!!!

[chiipay]

What if.. celebrating Christmas with Kaiser alongside his birthday? (Fluff)

Ohh cool idea. Ty (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) I'll do my best to make a scenario that fit your imagination (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠). Also forgive me because my country is a tropical country- we don't have Christmas here.. so idk much about Christmas Day.

Snowy days- MICHAEL KAISER.

24th December

It's Christmas. Fucking Christmas. Oh how much Kaiser hates to be reminded of the day he was born. But he couldn't express it to you because well he didn't want to get slapped on Christmas day because he pissed you off. He decided to just let it slide hopefully Christmas would just go along without bothering him.

" Kaiser. Wake up. It's freezing here. Help me up with setting presents for the players. I'll give yours later for the day."

You were just moving stuff around Kaiser so called 'penthouse'. Hie place looks gloomy and empty- tf he did here? Just laying around? You shaken every bad thought of him deciding which present suites for every bastard munchen players-

"... dang-this is harder than i thought.." you mutter- thinking hard on the presents.

This is the first time you celebrate Christmas with Michael kaiser and you had no idea how to plan things out. You rought a few items to become presents for bastard munchen players- but you don't spend a single penny in your bank...it was Kaiser's.

'he insisted on using his credit card only- rich people phase ig..'

Your thoughts got distracted by Kaiser leaning his body on you from behind. He let out a long sigh while resting his head on your shoulder, eyes glancing at the sight of items you brought earlier.

Kaiser looks at some items and picks up one of them and he chooses...a perfume.

'...wtf. wtf is this?'

Kaiser holds the perfume bottle for a minute before scrunching his nose up making a disgusted expression. He tightened his grip on your stomach making you look towards the same direction as he is.

"..what?"

" who the hell did you bought a perfume for? My whole teammates are freaking male. They have male anatomy. Tf is this for?"

Kaiser brings the perfume closer to your face as you just look at it for a sec before returning your attention to him.

" oh- i thought it would be good to give it to grim. Y'know? Just some vibe- I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

You said nonchalantly not really finding what's wrong with giving a perfume to a guy. Kaiser gave you a weird look before just putting the bottle down and would just bury his head deeper into your hair, sniffing your scent.

'Nasty.' you think.

----------___________-----------_________

25th December.

" Michael- wake up... it's Christmas.."

Michael kaiser groaned in his sleep before slowly opening his eyes. A glimpse of his mother came to his blurry vision just for it to get more clearer it was you. His eyes twitched a bit when his vision was getting more clear but soon turned into a softened gaze.

"..heyy..you awake now? It's Christmas..and happy birthday micha."

'micha..' you didn't always call kaiser by a nickname because of how you didn't want to make him uncomfortable. He never really cared about it. Mostly he would often ignored you whenever you called him that...but somehow he couldn't resist how smooth when he got called like that by you.

"....merry Christmas i fucking guess." He hushed in his low voice.

He sat up on his bed and then slowly looked at you while you prepare him breakfast in bed. He blankly looks at you while you prepare for it. When you were done he slowly ate his breakfast in front of you while you watched him eat it motionlessly.

"...why did you suddenly make me breakfast in bed today? You've never done this before."

" dang- forgave me for acting nice then. It's your birthday so why not? If this was another normal day i would have just forced you to do your own meal."

Kaiser didn't respond but continued to eat repeatedly. He was in deep thoughts...-you think. You didn't want your morning with kaiser to end up being an awkward morning so you try to change the atmosphere.

"uh- do you want a present? I already got something for you..?"

" present?"

Kaiser hates presents. He couldn't react properly when he got one. He hates it if he can't react properly would you be upset with him? Would you hate him for that? Would you actually leav-

".. having you is already like having a hellish present. Why should i get another one?"

His words actually came out opposite of what he is thinking. But even so he didn't want a present. Having you is already like a present he got from fate. He's more surprised that his 'present' is still with him and wasn't broken at all.

" oh-uhh thank you?..." You had no idea if that's a compliment or not but sounds pretty sweet to you..?

The tips of your ears went red making kaiser grin at your reaction-

' jackpot.'

"alright then, here's my present for you, meine einzige Frau~"

He leans closer to you making you started and backing backwards but Kaiser already trapped you before he gates his mouth on yours.

[sandplague]

(i'll just copy & paste the text here)

Pathologic 3 FAQ #1

Answers to frequently asked questions and a few hints about what’s coming next!

Hey hey!

Very soon, we’ll be sharing the first details about the game, starting with the soundtrack: on November 4th, we’re taking part in Save and Sound, an annual event dedicated to sound design and soundtracks in video games.

We know the wait has been long, and we want to thank you for the warm reception of the announcement. Today, we’d like to clarify a few points that we often see coming up in community discussions about the Pathologic 3 announcement.

So, let’s get started!

Q: What happened to the route for Pathologic 2? Has it evolved into a sequel?

A: Yes, that’s exactly what happened: the game simply grew beyond our concept of DLC—it will have different gameplay and entirely new features. Instead of one game with three playthroughs using the same gameplay but different storylines (as in the original 2005 release and the Classic HD remaster), we’re creating three fully developed games with distinct gameplay and significant differences in narrative.

Now, these are truly three separate protagonists with unique worldviews, perceptions of reality, and distinct tools. From a gameplay perspective, this means three different approaches and a complete rethinking of the original scripts.

One storyline was released in 2019, centered on the Haruspex. It was a large game that took much more time and work than initially planned. For publishing reasons, it was titled Pathologic 2.

Pathologic 3 is a new, full-fledged game focused on the Bachelor. The title was chosen to avoid confusion, making it clear that this is not a DLC but a complete game with a similar playtime.

Q: What about the Changeling?

A: Finally, there’s the Changeling, but we’d prefer not to make promises prematurely, so we’ll return to her when there’s more to share.

Moving forward, we plan to stick to this approach. We understand that premature promises about the previous Pathologic led to unfulfilled expectations. We apologize for that and don’t want to mislead you in the future. The developer should not be an unreliable narrator—unlike his characters.

Q: How do Pathologic 2 and Pathologic 3 differ?

A: The protagonists! And that’s only half-joking. The main idea and reason for dividing these games is that the Haruspex and the Bachelor are very different characters. The further we developed the Bachelor’s story, the clearer this became. We didn’t want to compromise by making the game a “safer” rework of the original script, so we reimagined the core gameplay loop:

The Haruspex needed to survive, fight, scavenge, rummage through garbage for scraps of bread, and try to save those he held dear along the way. The Bachelor is a man of intellect. Survival is not his primary concern; his goals go beyond what one lifetime could contain. He needs to think, formulate theories, and gather evidence. Ultimately, he must issue commands and observe the results. This distinction will be emphasized through gameplay, mechanics, objectives, soundtrack, and so on.

After Save and Sound, we plan to return later this year to show you what we mean. As they say, "Show, don’t tell."

Q: Who will receive game keys?

A: We remember our commitments to those who supported us during the fundraising stage nearly ten years ago, so we will provide keys to:

Kickstarter backers and other platforms where support for the game was available during the fundraising stage

Backers from 2014 and 2015

Also, backers entitled to two copies will receive two keys. We’ll share details on how to claim keys closer to release.

Q: Will the new game have its own artbook?

A: At the moment, we’re not planning a physical one, but we might create a digital artbook for the Supporter Pack. We're not sure yet!

Q: Which languages will the game be localized into, including text and voice-over?

A: We definitely plan to localize into English and Russian, and we’re considering Brazilian Portuguese, German, and Simplified Chinese. We’ll confirm languages closer to launch.

Q: Will the Russian title of Pathologic 3 remain?

A: Yes, we’re still considering options. Current ideas include “Finally,” “See, You Didn’t Believe Us,” and “Sorry for the Long Wait.”

Q: Will the game be available on GOG and other stores?

A: We’ll know closer to release, but it’ll likely be available on all platforms where Pathologic 2 can be found.

Q: Will preorders be available?

A: No.

Q: What platforms other than PC are planned for release?

A: We’re planning releases for PS5 and Xbox S/X, likely following the PC release.

Q: What engine is the game being developed in?

A: The same engine as Pathologic 2: Unity.

Q: Will the same voice actors return for Pathologic 3?

A: Yes, we’ll bring back the same actors from Pathologic 2, or at least, we’ll do our best.

We’ve prepared a big surprise for you in the coming months, so please add us to your Steam wishlist!

Until then, we’ll see you on November 4th!

[rottenpumpkin13]

Let’s reverse the question, AGSZC get stuck in a timeloop COLLECTIVELY, what’s the first thing they do?

The Nibelheim Time Loop (from hell)

Nibelheim Loop #1

Cloud: Man, I had the weirdest dream last night.

Zack: One where Sephiroth burns your village down?

Cloud: That's so creepy! How did you know?

Zack: I had the exact same dream.

*Sephiroth walks up to them*

Zack: Sephiroth, did you have any weird dreams last night?

Sephiroth: I had a dream where I turned into an infant kangaroo and was taken from my mother at birth, deprived of the comfort of her pouch, and forced to work for Shinra. Years later I discovered my mother was complicit in denying me the pouch. Seeking solace, I found an artificial pouch from a robotic alien kangaroo mother. I then rode contentedly in her pouch as she burned everything around us to keep me warm.

Zack: A simple yes would've sufficed.

-

Nibelheim Loop #5

Zack: You're living the same day over and over too, right? I'm not going crazy?

Sephiroth: Actually, I just noticed that we're in a time loop this morning.

Zack: You burned down Nibelheim four times.

Sephiroth, gaslighting him: What a touching story.

Zack: !?

-

Nibelheim Loop #8

*Nibelheim is burning*

Cloud: WHY!? WHY?? WHAT EVEN IS THE POINT ANYMORE!? WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?

Sephiroth, roasting marshmallows: Professor Hojo never let me roast marshmallows when I was a child. He claimed the sugar would provide excess dopamine, tricking my brain into thinking I could be happy and want more out of life.

Cloud: Shit man I had no idea

-

Nibelheim Loop #12

*Zack, Cloud and Genesis are holding Sephiroth down to keep him from entering the library*

Zack: QUIT IT! YOU ALREADY KNOW THE TRUTH!

Sephiroth: I YEARN.

Zack: FOR WHAT!?

Sephiroth: I YEARN.

-

Nibelheim Loop #16

*After tying Sephiroth up and sedating him*

Zack: There! Now he can't escape, and Jenova can't do mind control on him! Problem solved! No more Jenova cell people running around.

Zack:

Zack: *smells smoke*

Zack: That apple bastard.

-

Nibelheim Loop #23

Cloud: You know what!? This is a time loop! There are no consequences! I can go up to Sephiroth and kill him right now! Fuck it!

*Sephiroth walks up to him, Cloud punches his chest (nothing happens)*

Sephiroth: …..

*Cloud punches him again. He doesn't move*

Sephiroth: …..

*Cloud tries again. It's like punching a brick wall*

Sephiroth: Please stop fondling my chest.

Cloud: Oh my god.

-

Nibelheim Loop #36

Sephiroth: Am I….a human being?

Sephiroth: ….

*Sephiroth turns around*

Sephiroth: Where's Genesis?

Zack: He's not here, but he left this note. Here, let me read it—"Dear Sephiroth, I grew tired of flying from Banora to Nibelheim 35 times only to be met with disappointment, so I'm spending this loop in Costa Del Sol. Best Wishes, your friend, Genesis Rhapsodos."

Sephiroth: Wow. And he didn't even insult me this time.

Zack: "P.S.: No such luck kitty-boy you're a monster and yer mum's an alien. Get rekt."

Sephiroth:

-

Nibelheim Loop #???

*At the library*

Zack: Sephiroth! Stop!

Sephiroth: Each time I return here, my mind becomes clearer, more adept at absorbing information. This only fuels my bitterness and resentment, rather than allowing me to grow accustomed to it. I think this time I'll burn—

*Vincent appears and knocks him out with a pipe*

Zack: Woah! You got sick of the time loop too?

Vincent: What time loop?

Zack:

-

*The next day, after the time loop is broken*

Vincent: I'm glad I could be of assistance.

Cloud: Who would've thought that would end the time loop.

Vincent: Yes. It appears all Sephiroth needed was paternal discipline.

Cloud, gasping: You mean....? You're...?

Vincent: Yes. I'm Sephiroth's parent—

Cloud: !!

Vincent: —tal figure since I was in love with his real mother and his father is Professor Hojo, a role I've assigned myself purely due to the fact that I see myself as his primary caregiver during trying times, which is how an adequate father should act.

Cloud:

Vincent: Not that I would know.

[becauseimanicequeen]

The Timelines in 4 Minutes

Since the Olympics are finally over, and I have three episodes of 4 Minutes to go on, I thought I would spend some time trying to figure out the timelines.

I'm someone who figures out what I want to say by writing it out, so this post will most likely be me "thinking out loud" and drawing conclusions as I go, and then, at the end, I'll have a clearer view of the timelines (hopefully).

(This is most likely going to be one long-ass post, so beware.)

Let's start with some initial notes before I dive into the fun stuff.

The contents of this post may be influenced by some of my theories (pre-premiere theories, episode 1, episode 2, episode 3), and I might come up with new ones as I write this post (they will be highlighted in purple so possible readers of this mammoth post can choose to ignore them if they want, lol), but my focus is primarily on the timelines themselves and, perhaps, on the passing of time throughout the episodes as well.

As I start this post, I believe there are 3 timelines (which are subject to change as I continue to write):

The present timeline, which is what starts off both the 1st and the 2nd episodes (these are events from the future from our current vantage point).

The 4-minute timeline, which is where Great changes things (I've previously called this the OOBE timeline, since I believe Great is having an out-of-body experience and is "reliving" his past).

Then there's a possible third timeline (I've previously thought it might've been the real past, which showed us events that actually happened in the past paralleled with the 4-minute timeline) but I'm most unsure about this one, so I'll just call it the 3rd timeline until my thoughts are more clear about it.

Now... Where the hell do I start?

Time

It might be a good idea to start with the clues that there are different timelines at play and then dive deeper into the episodes to figure out what's happening.

Besides the obvious clues that Great is sent back in time when he has his moments of the 4-minute phenomenon (4MP), there are other clues that different timelines are at play.

The first clue shows up in the Korn and Tonkla scene from the 1st episode and all the way through to the scene where Korn drops Great off at his place after their family dinner.

This is where I'll be crazy about the details (but I'm a hundred percent sure they matter, especially since this whole show is about time), but if we look at Korn's watch when he arrives at Tonkla's place, it says 7:15-ish pm.

Later, when Tonkla wants a second round, it says 8:55 pm.

Then they get interrupted because Korn's dad wants him home for dinner. They have their family dinner, and then, when Korn drops Great off at his condo after dinner, Korn's watch says 7:15-ish while the clock on Great's phone says 07:13.

(Great already has issues with time, which I believe is the effect of him having a cardiac arrest at 11:00 in the present, but the time anomaly in this particular sequence is different than Great seeing 11:00 and counting when he's alone.)

This whole sequence is meant to be the same day Great hit Manee with his car. All of them (even the dad and Great's mom) are wearing the same clothes they wore when introduced throughout that very same day. Yet, the times on the visible watches and clocks tell us something strange is going on.

(Could this just be me overanalyzing the watches and clocks? Sure. But the interesting thing is that the time is still consistent in the sequence with Korn and Tonkla. It would make sense that they talk, then fuck, and then lie there butt ass naked and cuddling for a total of 1 h 40 min. And, again, considering this show is about time, I trust that the creators have been meticulous about those details, even if it means changing the time on the watches and clocks for every new take if needed.)

Considering what I wrote above, I might start calling the 3rd timeline Tonkla's timeline, because I feel like it revolves around him.

Either way, I will focus on the 4-minute timeline and the third one in particular because I don't see a possible 4th one right now (I might by the end of this post, though, lol).

The question is, then, how we can determine which scenes belong to which timelines. I will get to that further below, because first...

Let’s look at some more details I’ve noticed.

Blurry Edges

One of those details is the dreamy, blurry edges (I'm sure there's a technical term for this, but I have no idea what that might be, I'm just guessing that they're adding it in post-production, but don't quote me on that). Much of the show has a dreamy feel overall, but I'm talking about the blurry edges in particular.

I've noticed blurry edges in the following scenes:

When Great feels iffy in the elevator (ep 1)

I'm pretty sure there's some of it happening in the scene when Tyme is treating Manee, both in the ER and in the OR during the surgery (ep 1)

At the family dinner when Great's mom tells him he should go see Manee at the hospital (ep 1)

When Great feels iffy at the hospital before his second 4MP (ep 1)

When Great is sitting in Title's car talking about where View is (ep 2)

I'm not sure about this one since it's hard to tell because it's dark, but it might be used in the scene where Title beats the shit out of Dome (ep 2)

When Great brings Dome into the hospital (ep 2)

When Korn is having a meeting with Fasai and her dad (ep 2)

When Great feels iffy and has his fourth 4MP at the basketball court (ep 3)

When Win reads through Tonkla's brother's social media posts and comments, which is a memory of him doing it (ep 3)

And I'm pretty sure we're getting more of this since there were scenes in the trailer that had those blurry edges as well, for example:

The pattern I'm seeing with these scenes (if we exclude the first scene in the elevator, Korn's meeting with Fasai, and Win's memories, the latter might've had blurry edges just because it was his memory, btw) is that each scene has something to do with Great's 4MP, before the rewind and/or after the rewind.

(Perhaps the reason for the blurry edges showing up in Korn's scene is because he's the possible third character that's having an OOBE. And if this theory is true, there's a possibility that there's yet another timeline/reality/perspective present that entwines with both Tonkla's and Great's timelines.)

There are also the tilting camera shots (mostly showing up in scenes with Great), which I might get into next week as I continue to build on this post.

But, what does all this with the blurry edges mean?

I have no fucking clue.

Perhaps it's just meant to show that things aren't what they seem. Perhaps it's meant to show which characters are experiencing OOBEs (Great, Tyme, and possibly Korn)? Perhaps it's meant to show moments that are affected by Great changing them through his 4MP? Again, I have no fucking clue, yet (but it might start to get clearer as we get more episodes).

So, moving on...

Different Realities/Parallel Worlds/POVs?

There is another aspect to this whole timelines discussion I'm having with myself that I want to bring up. And that's the clues I've found that support the possibility of different realities/parallel worlds/different point-of-views. I'm not sure what to call them, yet.

So, let's dive into the moments I'm referring to and try and figure it out.

The second time Great experiences his 4MP, he goes to the ER's front desk and we're shown the nurse's actual desk where there's a clock that we're supposed to focus on because it's telling us that time will do weird shit again.

The moment Great has been sent back in time (after being in Manee's room), he's standing in the same position, looking down at the clock on the desk, and realizes it's happened again (just like when he hit Manee). However, this time, the things on the desk are different.

The time on the clock is the same, but the mirror is in a different position, 75 has turned to 74 (I'm not sure what these numbers mean), 77F has turned to 76F (which I'm guessing are Fahrenheit degrees), and the pink, blue, and yellow papers are lying on top of the folder the second time around.

If Great was sent back in time to the exact moment he was in before he went to Manee's room, the things on the desk would've been in the same place, right? So, he might not even have been sent back to the reality he was in before this 4MP happened.

Another clue is the sunrise and the sunset artworks on the wall at the hospital. We often see them by the entryway:

Then, in the 2nd episode, it looks like at least the right one is hanging outside Manee's room (which we've seen isn't anywhere near the front desk since Great had to walk around a bend to get to her room in the first episode).

Could they have more than one of those artworks in the hospital? Sure. So, take this with a grain of salt.

(Btw, I find those artworks so fascinating because sunrises are usually cooler (more blueish) while sunsets are usually warmer (more red/orangeish). But from our perspective, looking at them straight on, the warmer artwork has the sun setting in the west while the cooler artwork has the sun rising in the east. And, since the eye in left-to-right reading cultures often automatically goes from left to right, it's interesting that the sunset comes first and then the sunrise. Perhaps it's to show that the world is turned upside down now that Great is having these weird experiences. Or perhaps it's to show that the time between the sunset and sunrise will be important for Great and Tyme since Great watches Tyme pass those artworks (from sunset to sunrise) the first time he has visions of them having sex. But, I digress...)

Another set of clues is in the scene with Great and Tyme sitting on the bleachers by the basketball court and Great has another 4MP in the third episode.

The first time we see this wide shot, there are 5 people (excluding Great and Tyme):

4 of them are wearing white shirts (one with a darker cardigan), and they sit on Great's side. One wears a blue shirt and sits on Tyme's side. This is where Great asks Tyme why he didn't call before coming to the University.

As they continue to talk (and the camera shot is closer to them), you can see the top of the head of a girl walking towards the bleachers. There's also another person walking by, waving, but he's walking right past them rather than towards the bleachers.

Then, as Great thanks Tyme for the Thai tea and gets up to leave, we get this wide shot. The only difference here is that the girl who walked towards the bleachers is now sitting next to her friend. That seems logical, right?

But, then Great has his rewind, and he comes back to the moment where Tyme reminds Great to get his wound treated. Great tells Tyme about his precognition and Tyme tells Great that he will consult with one of his doctor friends. Then, as Tyme stands up to leave, we get this wide shot:

The two girls at the bottom left are in the same position but the girls two steps above and to the far left are different, the boy and the girl next to them are new, and the boy with the white shirt to the right is the same boy that sat on Great's side previously.

Coincidence?

Well... After Tyme tells Great that he can call him Tyme rather than Doctor, and Great says that they should grab something to eat after he gets his wound treated, we get this shot:

Now we're back to the original two girls to the left, there are new boys wearing black on the bottom left, and the boy in blue is back again. That's a lot of moving around in such a short time.

The only things that stay consistent in all of the shots are the bags (except for one of them) and bottles.

So, what's going on? Is this another one of those things that happened at the hospital where Great was sent back to a reality where things were different from the reality he was in before the 4MP?

Is the show giving us different perspectives? For example, Great's perspective before his 4MP, Tyme's perspective when he says he'll talk to Den, and Great's perspective again when Tyme has left? That could work for the hospital example as well since it was from Great’s perspective before the 4MP but turned into Tyme’s after the 4MP as he asked the nurse at the front desk who the guy that bumped into him was.

Or is the show just underlining how strange everything is during the 4-minute timeline (and Great's possible OOBE)?

Well, the latter might not be it because clues like this don't just show up when Great is around.

In the first episode when Korn comes to Tonkla's place, Tonkla's laptop shows he has something blue and yellow on his screen:

Then the screen is black as if it's been turned off:

Later, when it cuts to them lying naked on the sofa, it's just white:

Also, notice how the small spotlight behind the desk is positioned differently and pointing in another direction on the desk than in the first image above.

Could it be that Tonkla simply used the laptop and moved the lamp between them having sex and lying there? Sure. Again, if we look at Korn's watch from the beginning of this whole sequence (7:15-ish pm) to when Tonkla wants a second round (8:55 pm), we know he had 1 h 40 min to rearrange things and do stuff on that laptop.

But, you know, unless the house is on fire, who would move from that spot on top their sugar daddy who is lying there deliciously naked? And especially to do some stuff on a laptop? Fuck technology (the not-so-good kind of fuck) and fuck your sugar daddy instead (the deliciously bad kind of fuck). We all know Tonkla wants to. But, I digress...

Take this detail with a grain of salt if you want to (or a whole fistful). For me, though, this shows that there's a possibility that changes and inconsistencies like this aren't just happening around Great. And (to my crazy mind, at least), that it might be two timelines showing up throughout this particular sequence between Korn and Tonkla.

24 Hour vs AM/PM Clock Settings

And on the topic of inconsistencies... Another thing I want to point out is the inconsistencies with the digital clocks when it comes to them being 24-hour clocks or set to the am/pm thing.

The hospital seems to have a 24-hour setting in some cases:

But not in others:

This could be in the morning, of course, and the darkness outside Manee's window might just be because of the thunder/lightning storm (but I still think it's night rather than morning).

And then we also have Great (who, to be fair, has a special relationship to time in this show), who sees 11:00/11:02 both in the morning and at night:

And the am/pm thing is on his phone when Korn drops him off:

Even though his phone seems to have the 24-hour setting:

More than once:

But, again, Great clearly has issues with time and clocks/watches. So, this might just be a way to show how confusing it is to him.

But, what if it isn't? What if it's an indication that several realities are entwining? (Okay, I feel like I'm going with the term "realities" when it comes to this.)

My Timelines So Far

So, what are my conclusions after watching the first 3 episodes?

At this point, I think there are 3 timelines:

The present timeline.

The 4-minute timeline.

The real past/Tonkla's timeline (which is meant to show us the real past events that happened, most of it from Tonkla's perspective).

Having Tonkla's timeline be the real past is possible considering the inconsistencies in time during the Korn and Tonkla scene and then the Korn and Great scene in the 1st episode.

And before someone says this doesn't make sense because of all the missed calls Korn has (if anyone is still reading this, lol)... Well, that's because Korn exists in both timelines and the scene when he looks at the missed calls in that bathroom in the 3rd episode:

Could be the 4-minute timeline rather than Tonkla's timeline (the real past). That could make sense because all we've seen of Tonkla since Korn told him off over the phone is him waiting by his phone for Korn to call.

We never saw Tonkla call Korn again after being told off.

On the flip side, if Korn is in the real past when he looks at those missed calls in episode 3, it would make sense that when he wants to call Tonkla while he's waiting for Great at the bar (in the 4-minute timeline), the icons on the top right of his phone are different from the phone he looked at in the bathroom:

(Am I getting too crazy about this? Yes. Do I care? No, because it's fun.)

Could he be using different phones? Yes. Could those icons change depending on where he is and what settings he's using? Sure (I'm not familiar with Samsung phones so I have no idea what most of those icons mean). But it could also mean that we're seeing Korn in different timelines in these two scenes, which makes it possible for Tonkla's timeline to show us the real past.

(I personally prefer the option that the scene with Korn looking at the missed calls is from Tonkla's timeline (the real past) while Korn almost calling Tonkla in the bar, and then smiling at his phone as he's going to the bathroom, is from the 4-minute timeline where Tonkla's brother (who I believe is Dome) hasn't been killed.)

Also, I think showing us the real past is a smart way to show us what leads up to Tonkla beating the shit out of someone.

(I believe that scene is from the real timeline, and whoever he's beating with that rock, might have an effect on the things that are happening right now. I'm not sure what kind of effect, though. Perhaps it's a possible third person experiencing an OOBE and "living" in the 4-minute timeline. Perhaps Great is going through this OOBE to prevent that murder from happening after he wakes up (if he ever does). I'm not sure at this point.)

So, that's where I'm at with the timelines after 3 episodes.

And, when it comes to the inconsistencies in certain scenes, the easy answer is that they are just meant to show that this whole 4-minute timeline is an inconsistent mess of (what I believe to be) Great's OOBE.

But, I would personally find it more interesting if these inconsistencies (like all the people around Great and Tyme changing in that scene at the basketball court) are evidence that there is more than one character experiencing an OOBE and that the inconsistencies shown are there because the characters have different perspectives of the events happening.

Now, I had planned to make a flowchart of the scenes in each episode divided into the three different timelines I've written about above. But, I want to get this post out before the 4th episode drops tomorrow, and I just don't have time to make the flowchart before that (or enough images left in this post to fit something like a flowchart in it before I hit the pesky limit). So I'll wait with that chart until next week instead (when I'll continue to build on this post in a reblog).

Waiting to create and post the flowchart until after the new episode tomorrow also gives me another episode to nerd out about. It's a win-win for me.

[mirioho]

twisted wonderland: prologue

(ramblings and extra ver. under the cut)

when I first played the prologue and yuu was sent to the dwarves mine with adeuce I was hoping we'd get to see the scary trees from snow white because personally that scene with them when she gets lost in the forest had always terrified me as a kid. I thought it'd be fun if they were some enemies we had to battle against. I was a bit disappointed we didn't see a glimpse of them at all throughout our time in that forest though 🤧. So I wanted to try and include one of them into this drawing. Also Reyu (my yuu) is wearing a Cinderella Inspired outfit because I thought it was fitting considering at the time yuu was supposed to be a janitor of sorts and not yet an official student. So I imagined yuu wouldn't have received a uniform but instead would have to wear something else to clean the school.

I'm personally pretty proud of this background though I'm not sure it's completely clear due to all the lighting so I'll probably upload a clearer look at it on my Kofi later :D

Also fun fact the only reason I made a yuu in the first place (Reyu) was to draw her for this piece haha

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 65 (Personal Lows)

cw: pregnancy loss (I'm so sorry I did not plan this.)

As well as life had been going for Heather and Conrad, reality came crashing down one Saturday when Ash was in the city with the Landgraabs. Both were spending the day at work, but Heather fell ill and called Conrad.

"Something's wrong. Can you meet me at St. Sims Hospital?"

Heather was admitted for tests, but Dr. Serra delivered the devastating news. "This happens more often than you might think this early on, but there's no heartbeat. I'm sorry."

"This is my fault," said Conrad. "My fear added stress you didn't need."

"This isn't your fault," said Heather staunchly. "Dr. Serra said this happens more often than you think. You didn't stress me out any more than the rest of our busy lives stressed me out. I've worn a glucose monitor since high school and I have to remind myself to slow down all the time. You make my life so much easier, Conrad. Not more stressful."

"This can be a difficult time for anyone," Dr. Serra said gently. "I'd like to refer you both to a colleague of mine, if you're open to it. Her name is Dr. Supriya Delgato, and she's a relationship and family therapist with a focus on grieving. I think you should talk to her when you're ready. She has an office upstairs and I can let her know she might hear from you."

"Yes please," said Heather. "Thank you, Dr. Serra."

Conrad was still apologetic when they returned home, trying to think of the right thing to say while an exhausted Heather changed into her pajamas. "I'm sorry. I should have been more supportive from the start."

"I'm glad you were honest with me, Conrad. For better or worse, knowing how you feel makes everything clearer for me."

"I do want a family with you. I want Ash to have a brother or sister, and I was looking forward to the parenting classes we were going to sign up for. I wish it hadn't turned out this way."

She embraced him. "Me too. But when I was about seven my mom had a miscarriage early, like me. She got through it, and she had Hazel a year later."

"Heather, I promise you, next time I'll be ready."

"I believe you. We don't need to think about that tonight, but I think we should schedule an appointment with Dr. Delgato like Dr. Serra suggested."

"I haven't spoken to a grief counselor since I was in high school," he admitted. "Back then I was too angry at the world to get anything from it."

She held him in a reassuring embrace. "I think this will be a good thing for both of us."

They went to bed that night feeling closer than ever, cuddling beneath the covers until they both fell asleep. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: This happened unexpectedly via the Heathcare Redux mod by adeepindigo and I was really sad about it. I'm sorry to anyone who hated this development especially after we all went through it with Conrad. I considered pretending it didn't happen since it happened SO early, but I appreciate the realistic storytelling supported by the mod nonetheless. And Conrad will be thrilled about the next one, because I'm literally sending him to grief counseling to justify me changing his trait to 'Would Love to Have a Child Right Now' without letting it flip over time. No chances taken, only plot! In all honesty Heather should have had therapy in high school so in some ways this is long overdue for them both, anyway.

NOTE 2: That last shot is the first time they autonomously cuddled (to sleep, my heart!) after the Lovestruck update. Honestly their level of flirty when they're together is usually sky high and blocks out most of their sad moodlets, hence the smiles despite this really sad installment. When it comes to Conrad, Heather isn't unflirty whatsoever.

[youunravelme]

to all the girls you loved before part 4

author's note: thank you so much for your patience, if i'm being honest, this part was really hard to write because of the hype last part got. i don't want to disappoint anyone and i think i let that fear dictate how long it took me to write this. BUT thank you all for all the love and kindness you showed me as you read this series, i'm so excited to keep writing because of you! again, if you asked to be tagged and you aren't listed below, chances are tumblr wouldn't let me. :(

pairing: single dad!mat barzal x reader

summary: being a nanny for rich people was probably the worst thing that ever happened to you, until you started working for mat.

warnings: children, rich people, very volatile/toxic relationship

day thirty-four

bile rose in the back of your throat.

was that the proper reaction to finding out that the guy your roommate had been fucking for the past month was your boyfriend? it didn't feel like an overreaction.

you headed back to your room, hands closed over your ears to drown out the moans and groans coming from across the hallway. you slammed your bedroom door and started grabbing shit out of drawers and throwing it into a duffle bag you found on your floor.

the moans stopped and through the thin walls, you could hear mumbling.

"don't try to be considerate now!" you shouted. shuffling was heard on the other side of the wall before your door was pushed open, jason standing in a pair of boxers with hickeys all down his chest. natalie came in a second later dressed in one of jason's favorite shirts.

you would know, you used to wear it all the time until it went missing.

"you--" but natalie cut herself off. maybe it was the look on her face or the presence of the divine interfering on her behalf before you smacked her.

"where are you going?" jason asked.

"i'm not sure yet, but i'm not staying here any second longer." you stood to your full height with the duffle bag in your hand. as if a switch flipped, jason smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"you're not going anywhere."

you scoffed. "what?" because surely you heard wrong.

"did i stutter?"

this fucker.

"i'm leaving." you made a move towards the bedroom door, but his frame blocked it. "jason, i'm not fucking around."

"neither am i. we need to talk about this. and you're not going anywhere until we do."

"i think your moans said enough. now move."

"or what?" your phone rang and mat's contact picture lit up the screen. "of course it's him. why is he calling?" jason sneered.

you answered without acknowledging jason. "hello?"

"hey, you never texted me to say you got in alright. you okay?"

you looked between your roommate and soon-to-be ex boyfriend. "keep the car running, i'll be down in a few minutes."

a pause. "do i need to come up?"

"no, i'll be down in a few." your eyes never left jason's.

"stay on the phone," mat said.

"okay."

"tell mat to mind his business," jason said. "this is between us."

you kept the phone in your hand. "you can't tell me what to do. especially in an apartment where you don't pay rent."

he looked almost dumbfounded at your boldness, so you took advantage of that lack of awareness to shove your way past the both of them.

you made it to the living room before jason was shouting after you down the hallway. "we're not done here."

before you could stop yourself, you whipped around, filled with rage for what felt like the tenth time that night. "yes, we are. this relationship? over. this conversation? over."

in a flash, jason was in front of you, ripping the duffle bag out of your hands and tossing it down the hall, away from you.

and the realization hit you right as jason started screaming at expletives again.

fuck the bag, you needed to get out before he did something to you.

so you bolted, running towards the front door, flinging it open, and sprinting towards the stair case. if you had a clearer head, you might've waited for the elevator, but you wouldn't put it past jason to run out in the hallway with nothing but his boxers on.

you sprinted down the stairs, nearly slipping a few times, until you got outside.

mat immediately caught your eye and hung up the phone before jumping out of the car. "are you alright?" he asked. you couldn't speak, only nodded and let him open the car door for you.

not even the traffic sounds could fill the silence in the car.

from the corner of your eye, you could see mat glancing at you before turning his attention back to the road. "do you wanna talk about it?"

you tried to speak, but it was like the events of the night caught up to you. the words got stuck in your throat. "i--"

"i'm sorry," mat said. "i shouldn't have asked. let's get you back to my apartment and we'll sort things out there, okay?"

unable to say anything, you just nodded.

mat said before reaching over and clapping a hand on your knee. "it's gonna be okay. i'm not gonna let anything happen to you, alright?"

you nodded again.

mat took his hand back and for a moment, you contemplated reaching over for it, thankful for the way it grounded you even just briefly, but ultimately decided against it. you might not have a lot of friends, but you can guarantee you've never held their hands before.

the rest of the trip was spent in silence.

mat parked the car and immediately got out while you sat there to take a moment to breathe. he gently got ella out and slung the diaper bag over his shoulder before opening your door. "i'm all for taking a deep breath, but i would advise against it in a car at night."

you managed a weak chuckle through your tears and got out.

the doorman greeted the three of you with a small smile on his face as you walked into the lobby. he didn't ask any questions when he saw the tear tracks on your cheeks.

mat led you up to his apartment. he shuffled ella around in his arms to try to reach his keys, but when she started stirring he froze.

"would you get my keys out of my pocket?" he whispered.

you nodded solemnly before asking where his keys were.

"back left."

you carefully put your hand in his back left pocket, being sure not to touch any unsavory parts of him. when you retrieve his keys, you bypass his free hand entirely, choosing to unlock the door yourself.

mat followed behind you, shutting the door with his foot and locking it with his free hand. "i'm gonna put her down real quick. and then i'll get you something to change into."

"you don't have to--"

"i'd be a horrible friend if i made you sleep in jeans. it's no big deal, i promise."

and with that, he disappeared down the hallway while you stood in the living room processing what the hell had just happened. it seemed like the full weight of what had actually occurred just thirty minutes prior finally hit you like a tidal wave. there was no telling how long you stood there crying before being you were pulled into a firm chest.

"it's okay," mat said with a hand running up and down your back. "whatever happened is over now." he held you until your hiccuping cries stopped. you nodded against his chest before pulling away and wiping at your face. "i left the clothes on the guest bed if you wanna go get changed. the shower is free as well."

you mumbled a small thanks and headed down the hall.

on the bed was a pair of grey sweatpants; thankfully, with drawstrings, and a blue islanders tee shirt. you grabbed the items and headed to the bathroom, ready to wash away the events of the night.

as soon as the water was hot, you were undressing and stepping into the shower. just like all the other times you've showered, your mind was filled with reflections of the day. how jason screamed at you in public, how humiliated you felt, the sick feeling of coming home and finding his clothes strewn about, the nearly paralyzing fear of looking at him and realizing he was a completely different person now.

it all added up, the sly comments from your roommate, the emotional distance between you and jason, the accusing looks your roommate would give you whenever you so much as hugged him in front of her. when did it happen? how long had it been going on? was it revenge for how much time you were away and at mat's place working? was it--

wait.

you listened closely and heard talking vaguely over the fall of water from the shower. quickly, you turned off the shower when you heard the voices escalate. you dried off, pulling on mat's clothes with record speed before opening the bathroom door and letting the steam out.

almost immediately after, you were wishing you'd stayed in the bathroom.

because jason was at the door with a car seat in his hands, looking as furious as he was earlier in the evening.

"what the fuck?" he yelled as soon as he saw your form. "you slept with him already?"

"if you're asking if i took a page out of your book, the answer is no, jason." you walked into the living room and stood behind mat.

"why would i believe you? you're literally wearing his clothes!" he yelled, gesturing at your frame.

"i'm gonna tell you this once," mat started, voice low and dark. "lower your voice because if you wake my daughter, we're gonna have even more problems than we do right now."

"fuck off, barzal. this is between me and my girlfriend."

"ex," you said. "ex-girlfriend. we're done."

"what--"

"i don't know how you thought you could fuck natalie and maintain this relationship; but even if you didn't fuck my roommate, it would still be over because of the way you embarrassed me tonight."

"so you get revenge by slutting around--"

mat took half a step forward. "i would find a different word to use, if i were you."

"or what, barzal? you gonna fight me? i've seen the game you played against the rangers, i'm not impressed. you start shit but never finish it."

"kind of like our sex life," you mumbled before you could stop yourself.

fury washed over jason's face; you'd never seen a look so intense, but it looked right at home on him. jason took a step forward. "what did you say?" he asked darkly.

mat quickly shot his hand up and held jason where he was. "back up."

almost instantly, jason smacked the hand away. "you can't tell me what to do."

"i can when it's my home you're trying to barge into."

jason looked at him before turning his attention back to you. "you're gonna let him speak to me like this?" when you didn't say anything, he got angrier, which you didn't think was possible. he slammed his fist against the doorframe which had you flinching backwards and mat moving between the two of you.

"you have two options," mat said lowly. "either leave, or i call security and have you escorted out."

jason guffawed, if you could see him through mat, you might've seen the way he face relaxed, like he just realized he lost. you heard the thump of him dropping the car seat. "you're gonna regret this."

"have fun with what's-her-name," mat said before grabbing the car seat and shutting the door in jason's face.

the second the door locked, mat was dropping the car seat and pulling you into his chest. you weren't sure when you started crying and shaking again, this time you weren't sure if it was from anger or devastation.

"it's okay," he said. "it's over. you don't have to deal with him anymore." you nodded against his chest. "let's get you to bed and we can worry about everything else tomorrow, okay?" he pulled back just far enough to look you in the eye. "i need to hear you say it."

"okay," you whispered.

he looked satisfied enough to pull away and guide you down the hall where you knew your room would be.

your room.

when did you start thinking of it as that? you broke up with your boyfriend less than an hour ago and were not considering another bedroom (that hasn't been offered to you) as your own?

you yawned. it was too late to be doing deep dive contemplation, especially after the night you had.

mat stopped in front of your door, leaning on the doorframe like it was meant to hold him up. "i have practice tomorrow and then i'll be back and we can workout a time to get your things. does that sound okay?"

you nodded again. "thanks, mat."

"anytime."

you shut the door and stared at it for a moment. part of you wondered if mat was doing the same on the other side.

day thirty-five

you woke up without an alarm clock but your body was still tired. the exhaustion of the unveiled truth was a weight you weren't used to carrying.

gingerly, you rose from the bed and checked the time on your phone, relieved to see it was still early and that you hadn't inconvenienced mat by oversleeping.

mat.

he'd stuck up for you, let you sleep over, someone he hadn't really known but for a month. was he that kind or just naive?

you didn't have time to dwell on it.

you walked down the hall and into the living room when you heard music playing. there was no telling what could come from the bluetooth speaker when mat's phone was connected, this time it seemed to be some random pop song blasting through the kitchen. when you rounded the corner, you saw mat putting ingredients into a blender while ella bounced and flapped her arms around to the music in her high chair.

"morning!" mat said over his shoulder. "there's frozen waffles in the freezer if you want something for breakfast."

"they're not like...disgusting protein waffles, are they?" you asked.

mat stopped what he was doing and turned so he could smile at you properly. "nope, good ole unhealthy eggo waffles."

"i appreciate it." you made a move to walk towards the fridge when you stopped. "and for what it's worth, i'm sorry, about last night."

mat tilted his head like a confused golden retriever. "what did you do? if you pissed on the sheets, i have in unit laundry that will fix that problem."

you couldn't help it, a laugh burst straight from your chest and out of your mouth before you could stop it. if your eyes weren't squeezed shut from the laughing, you would've seen the soft smile adorning mat's face for getting that reaction.

"you know why," you said once you'd calmed down.

mat shrugged. "as far as i'm concerned, you didn't do anything wrong. that's all on him." he took two steps towards you, placing a hand on your shoulder. "and if it wasn't clear, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

the both of you stared at each other without saying a word, neither wanting to interrupt whatever peace was going on between the two of you.

ella took that opportunity though, to throw her apple sauce on the ground. the sound alone had you both snapping out of whatever trance you were in.

"well," mat said.

"yeah," you mumbled.

mat moved around you, squeezing your shoulder once. "i have to go get ready, but i should be back soon to help you get your stuff from your old place."

"mat, you don't have to--"

he kept walking. "sorry what was that? can't hear you!"

despite yourself, you smiled.

most of the morning went by without a hitch, you didn't even shed a tear! which you considered to be progress and maybe a sign that you weren't as torn up about your breakup as you should've been.

but you didn't have time to unpack that thought.

it wasn't until around 11 that you got a text from an unknown number that you were considering throwing your phone down the stairwell. but because curiosity got the better of you, you checked your phone anyway.

hey! this is sydney martin, we met last night. mat mentioned that you'd need help moving your stuff and i was offering my help as well at matt's.

below her text notification was one from mat.

hope you don't mind i passed your number along to sydney. my plan was to get tito to help me move your stuff, but we're both caught up doing interviews and press coverage until this afternoon. didn't think you'd want to chance running into him after a workday.

you texted sydney back first, finding it easier to set up times to leave and meet up at your old place than to reply to the thoughtfulness of mat's text.

hey sydney! you wrote. i would love all the help i can get, when would you two be able to meet me at my old apartment?

which is how you found yourself standing outside your old building with ella strapped to your chest, waiting for sydney and matt to arrive.

you heard your name being called and looked over your shoulder to see sydney and matt in workout clothes next to a....

uhaul?

in the city?

"hope you don't mind," sydney started. "mat said you had some stuff but we weren't sure how much, so my husband rented a truck just in case."

without even thinking about it, your eyes started tearing up. in one night, you'd lost pretty much the only people you had in the city, but had somehow gained two more in their absence.

"you didn't have to..." you trailed off.

matt, as if sensing the tears that were seconds away from leaking out of your eyes, took a step closer. "we've all been in shitty situations, no one should have to deal with it alone. besides any friend of my wife's is a friend of mine."

the very words left you giving him a watery smile. "thank you."

sydney approached you and wrapped you in a hug. "no need to thank us."

when you pulled away, the martins pretended they didn't see you wiping at your eyes.

"alright," you clapped. "it's gonna take some time, but hopefully with the three of us, we can get it done quickly."

the four of you headed inside with ella dozing off against your chest. matt followed behind you and sydney, carrying unopened cardboard boxes he had leaning against the truck.

"so i was thinking," matt said once you got to the front door of the apartment. "you and syd can pack up the boxes and i'll do the heavy lifting out to the truck, hopefully mat and tito will be done soon and they can help as well."

you and sydney nodded before heading back to your bedroom while matt played with ella in the living room.

"i asked him before we got here if he could give us some space," sydney explained once you were in your old bedroom.

"i appreciate it."

sydney started at your dresser and opened one box before neatly placing your clothes inside. "are you okay?"

you shrugged and started on the closet, tossing clothes inside the box without a care. "i'll be fine."

"mat didn't say much, if anything, if that's what you're worried about. i just saw how you were when what's-his-name was raging at the game yesterday."

you paused over a shirt that used to belong to him before tossing it aside. "he cheated on me with my roommate. and he wasn't happy when i tried to leave last night. tried to keep me here to 'talk about things.'"

sydney looked at you but didn't say anything for a moment. she let your words hang in the air like a foot poised over a landmine. "does mat know that?"

you shrugged. "he was on the phone with me for part of it but i don't know if he heard the near hostage attempt."

"did he come up the stairs and take care of things?" sydney asked, tone very serious. you didn't think it was possible for someone as joyful as her to look as grim as she did.

you shook your head. "no, he waited in the car."

"then he must not've heard, you would've known if he had." you weren't sure what face you were making but it must've been alarming because sydney quickly backtracked. "not that he'd get violent or anything! mat isn't scary, he's just..." she paused, as if searching for the right word. "...protective."

"i don't think that applies here, i've only known mat a month."

up until that point, you didn't know it was possible to hear an eye roll, but sydney somehow managed it. "oh please, like that matters here. anyone who meets you adores you. take me for example, i've only known you for twenty-four hours and i'd fight an overgrown man child for you." she reached over and placed a hand on top of yours. "everyone who meets you, loves you. it would be hard not to."

you nodded and went back to shoving clothes in boxes, too scared to look her in the eye just in case she saw the tears you were barely holding back.

an hour later, with most of your things in boxes, mat and tito showed up. ella, (who was sitting in your lap on the couch while matt martin continued to take boxes down to the truck, screamed and flapped her arms at the sight of her father and his best friend.

"ella bean!" tito called before beating mat over to you and scooping up the baby. mat didn't even attempt to conceal his annoyance, rolling his eyes before assessing the boxes littering the floor.

"is this all?" he asked.

you nodded. "syd and i have to sell my bed frame but other than that, we're good."

"we can bring it back to our apartment so you don't have to come back here."

you froze, and from the corner of your eye, you saw tito stop bouncing ella to look at the both of you while sydney found herself scrolling on her phone.

our apartment.

it hadn't even been twenty-four hours and he was already referring to the place as half yours.

it should've made you freak out, shut down.

but you were just relieved.

"i don't know if we'll have enough room," you said.

mat scoffed. "we'll make room. or martin, tito, and i will come back and grab it today. but you're not coming back here once we leave. not when your ex could show up at anytime."

you were still surprised that jason hadn't arrived. it seemed in his nature to hover, especially after he tried to hold you hostage last night.

"okay," you nodded.

he pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "i'll go talk to matt about making room and then we'll grab your bed frame." mat scooped up two boxes with ease and turned on his heel to go back down the stairs.

"i can help--"

but mat made a noise in the back of his throat. "sit down and chill." and left the room.

"that was considerate of him," sydney noted when she was sure he was out of earshot.

"which part?" tito commented. "when he referred to his place as yours? or the time where he denied your help so you could relax?"

"i'm sure mat does this for all the people in his life," you said.

tito scoffed. "when i was moving apartments, i asked for his help and he told me to 'fuck off and hire movers.'"

"i'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with how close you two are and everything to do with you being a millionaire," sydney replied.

as if on cue, your phone rang, mat's first and last name filling up your screen. "hello?"

"tell beau to give ella to you and bring the rest of the boxes downstairs."

tito must've heard because he was groaning and walking ella over to you without saying a word.

"he's on his way down," you said.

"thanks," mat replied before hanging up.

the hard work was done by mid afternoon. and with the truck loaded up, none of you saw a reason to stay much longer. matt martin agreed to drive the truck back to the apartment you currently shared with mat. you'd ride with mat and tito (and subsequently ella) since you took the subway to your old place while syd drove her car.

as soon as you got back to your new place, the boys were unloading the truck while you and syd put ella down for a long overdue nap before taking a look at your room and trying to figure out where to put things.

"it doesn't all have to be done in one day," she said. "but the faster it's done, the easier it'll be for you to move on from this." you nodded to the sound of the boys dropping boxes in living room. "you're handling this remarkably well for someone who just ended a long term relationship."

you avoided looking at her, instead focusing on your bed spread. "things haven't been okay for awhile," you said like that was explanation enough.

it seemed to do the job for sydney because she didn't ask anymore questions.

not too long after everything was moved in, sydney, matt, and tito left with the promise of visiting soon. syd said she'd be by without any hesitation if you needed her.

you just smiled and accepted her hug. but as soon as the front door shut, your shoulders sagged and you fell into the couch like a rag doll.

if your eyes weren't laser focused on the floor, you would've seen mat's mouth open and shut a few times as if searching for the right words until he finally settled on some.

"you did it, one of the hardest parts is over."

you grunted. "what could be harder than this?"

mat fell into the couch beside you. "tomorrow, and the day after that, and the days that follow until you get used to him not being around anymore. and the sting of betrayal finally stops hurting."

you couldn't help yourself, you laughed.

"what?" he sat up. "i thought i was giving sage advice!"

your eyes met and you could see he wasn't offended, there was a gleam of humor in his eyes that reminded you of boys in elementary school who regularly got in trouble for the hijinks they pulled during the school day.

"'the sting of betrayal?' really mat? are you an author or a hockey player?"

"can't i be both?"

"i've seen you get hit in the head with pucks and hockey sticks before. keep it up and i don't think you'll have much of a brain to write anything."

you expected a laugh, but he looked at you like he'd seen you in a new light. "i didn't get hit at my last game."

"i know," you laughed. "i was there, or have the concussions you've gotten affected your memory?"

"you watched my previous games?"

oh.

would that be embarrassing to admit? that you'd gone back and watched him play a little? you didn't even know why, you just found yourself on youtube rabbit hole during one of ella's naps.

"i mean," you shrugged. "i uh, i watched some highlights and whatever youtube had available. i felt bad for not knowing anything about how you play, especially after you--"

"you don't have to explain anything to me," he interrupted. "i just, i'm shocked is all, in the best way possible."

maybe it was the look in his eyes, or the soft smile gracing his lips. or maybe it was the fact that he was the first single man you'd ever met who'd shown you unrelenting kindness without any expectation of sleeping with you that had you saying the words you said next.

"i'm really glad i met you."

his smile grew. "i'm really glad too."

taglist:

@nicoleloveshockey @thg02 @fallinallincurls @bbbbruins @random-readers-world @sydsxoxo @jhughesy @whenmypartysover @sunflowerhood @spencereidbasis @icanfsplel @avareadsthings @zegraswrites @calermakar @heyitsmeimdead @kashee-h @bordelhoe

[0daylighthours0]

(part 2) A Deep Dive into Milkvan and Byler's Development: If Milkvan's Destined Endgame, Why's it Written Like This???

The decision to confirm Will to be in love with MIKE is wild, and I'll tell you why.

When you add a third party to a t.v show relationship, if the first relationship isn't perfect, people gunna start rooting for the third party. Take Stancy for instance.

Throughout s2, we got the vibes that Jonathan held feelings for Nancy. This was clear. But Nancy was still with Steve. This means, in order for us not to sympathize more for Jonathan, Nancy and Steve gotta be ✧ tight ✧. I mean, their issues must be kept at a low, and at the end of the day it's gotta be clearer to us that Nancy does in fact love Steve. Welp, that wasn’t the case. Stancy's relationship ✧ struggled ✧, justifying intimate moments between Nancy and Jonathan - making us feel as if he'd be better for her after all. A smart writing choice, as Duffers intended Jancy as season 2's endgame pairing.

Now, I'd like to point out the foreshadowing of this development.

Come the wrapping up of s1, and it seemed Nancy had retreated back to Steve.

They'd clearly reconciled and - to an outsider - all would appear to be going smoothly. But us as the audience know that not to be the case.

One reason? Well, she'd just shared a suggesting moment with Jonathan.

So our minds weren't on Steve and this show of his with Nancy. Rather, we read into Nancy's slight discomfort, and wondered if perhaps she'd prefer being with Jonathan instead.

This was of course intentional. I'd like to briefly bring to attention the similarities in these moments to ones at the end of s3 - between Mike and Will, and then Mike and El.

Here a conclusion to milkvan's seasonal drama is made, them seemingly staying together, parting on good terms. Hm. And milkvan's moment is.. kinda like stancy's. They got back together because, well, El said she loves Mike. And Steve loves Nancy. And Mike loves El right? The way Nancy loved Steve- But just, coincidentally, we have byler's reconciliation too.

This came before the guy's makeup with El, because, why? This was quite the interesting decision mates. It means that whilst he spends that moment with his girlfriend, our minds are fresh off of Will. People might read into the way he's acting in contrast, just maybe, the way they did during stancy. And people did. That's a bit of a fumble on the writers' part, if you ask me. I know you're trying to let us know that Mike's now on good terms with both members, and his and El's goodbye needs to be the dramatic finishing of the season, but, man, did byler even have to make up at all here you guys? I mean this miscommunication of theirs lasts through to s4 (just like janc-). Why not sort their good terms out later or earlier on, so that we have more mindspace here to focus solely on milkvan, our main main? Or at least, why not just have Mike apologize to Will and be done with it? He could even apologize alongside Lucas, making the moment less personal. And Will could simply forgive him, give a dudely pat it out, and that's it. We wash our hands.

But nah. There's this electricity in the air. The swelling music, the prolonged looks, this doesn't.. seem like a simple make up. It's startlingly short, making us feel as if there have been things left unsaid. And that line,

".. Not possible."

It's so... implying. What do you mean? Why are you looking at eachother like that? What am I meant to get from this scene?

And it isn't a closing reconciliation either, they haven't properly ended their season's drama. I mean no one even apologized for the argument, we're just sort of left with this. Left with the hint of a story that might be further explored - their moment coming off more as anticipation for what's to come than a conclusion. Maybe just a bit like Jonathan and Nancy s1.

But so what? That does not have to mean anything romantic between them is to be told. After all, El just expressed to Mike that she loves him. This means that these sweethearts are practically fortold as endgame, right?

Alright I'll stop stalling.

Season 4.

So. Will is in love with Mike now. Huh. Well, I don't recommend this. As I said, you risk people rooting for Will beyond their hopes for Mike and El as a couple. If this is a plotline you desire, it has to be navigated with precision. So this means that milkvan must be on their A game. Struggle between them has got to be handled delicately. As we see in stancy, and as we saw in s3, just making up at the end of it all isn't good enough. You can risk this mistake once, but we must like these guys together throughout season 4, more than we sorrow for Will. Infact, Will's feelings must not be made too big of a deal. Mike and El are going to stay together, so we should feel a bit sorry for him, but not gather any hope that things will actually work out to his favour.

Like Dustin in s2. He sprouted small feelings for Max, and so did Lucas. Lumax were the endgame, so Dustin's feelings were craftly navigated and not made more important than Max and Lucas' bond. We don't really feel that Dustin is in love with Max, moreso that he likes her and has some moments of jealousy aimed at Lucas. Noone really wanted him with her more than they rooted for Lumax, though we did sympathize for him and feel bad for him regardless.

So yeah, this can easily be written out for Will too. If his story's purpose is meant for the exploration of a gay kid navigating a still homoph#bic time, then there's a lot that can be done without even having to spare much screen time between him and Mike. Focus on his fear of judgement from Jonathan moreso maybe, or have Argyle say something - it can be whatever, mention something homoph#bic, mention something not homoph#bic and give Will hope, whatever - which sets off a thought or idea for Will that prepares his arc for the season.

Back to Mike and El - so we want a 'scared to say "I love you"' subplot. That's good, that good. Fleshes out Mike, plays into El's fears. Shouldn't be too hard.

There's already a mild problem though. This plot is playing out twice at once. We have our boy Will hosting this same fear of rejection by Mike - at least that's how things have been shot. His dread is portrayed through his restraint and timidity in revealing his painting to Mike. Will's painting is basically his version of a confession - the guy too selfless, shy and afraid to express his love outright.

So playing out this storyline at the double is.. a choice. I mean, Mike telling El he loves her is a big deal for the milkvans, shouldn't this romance dominate as much screen time as possible in order to be fully pumped up without any sidetracks to other insignificant in comparison feelings? S3 was already quite clumsy, why not have Mike and El's activities soak in all viewers' engrossment without any departures? Maybe spend a bit of time demonstrating how likeable and wholesome they actually are together. Now that we have Will's affection ontop it all, what's important is that Mike and El's camera time spent matters. They can be angsty, they can withhold some misunderstandings, but they still have to be a good. couple.

Oh yeah, also, Mike should blatantly display feelings for El and El only - duh.

.

..

huh ?

huh ? ? ?

[mtkay13]

(and way more TYK designs below!)

Here it is! My personal designs of the (mostly) full TYK cast! What I mainly learned from this: TYK has a lot more characters than expected, haha.

My idea was mainly to get a clearer image, for myself, of all the people appearing or being mentioned in the book (and btw, a big chunk of the characters above died before the story even started and don't even get a line, but, you know...). One of my guidelines was, everyone has to look interesting, has to look like the main character of their own story. TYK is pretty much a story about side characters... so if noone is a main character, everyone is, no? (...does that even work? lol) Some of these designs were inspired by SHL, because it being the first one I saw, it of course left an impression in my mind. The rest is essentially taken from the few descriptions we get in the book, and my own imagination (plus some help from pinterest for the clothing). Rong Changqing is 100% inspired from @tbgkaru-woh depiction of him.

One noteworthy thing: the giant dog is too big. I thought it was supposed to be the size of a big horse, but it's actually the size of a pony... woops. Now, additionally:

The protags families! Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao had to look heroic because that's pretty much what their characters are about. The traditional Wuxia story heroes that marked the legend. Conversely, the Zhou family has to be as plain and normal as possible, haha. ZZS says, in QY, that he's often called "Zhou San" (=Zhou three), which means he's the third child in his family. Since I like the idea of him being the youngest, I only gave him an older brother (who will inherit the position of head of the family and thus justify ZZS being able to leave for a shady remote sect) and an older sister. And as another bonus:

Hehehe. So these are... let's say, the men in ZZS' life, before WKX.

- Jiuxiao, of course, because I'm convinced ZZS had feelings for him

- Huang Xu, an OC developed with Bichen (son of a HLZ supporter, whose family ZZS infiltrated for a while --as Su Yan-- to try and sway them towards HLY's cause ((Su Yan's "Yan" is the same "Yan" as in Zhen Yan, just as a little nod to SHL))) - Zhu Ai, a magistrate OC, developed with Moose and Bichen, who's deeply infatuated with ZZS --only knowing him as that one guy who handles imperial guard watch tours and trains guards--

-and one guard I just like to imagine having a crush on him too. I started working on some guy from WKX's childhood too, but I feel like WKX's past is such a huge can of worms, I'll save all of that for later, haha.

[axlerica]

CANARY ISLAND ~ PART 2

PART 1 HERE

There was an international break for a few weeks, Pedri, who was recovering from an injury, and Y/N decided to take a vacation. They chose to go to Pedri's hometown, the lovely Canary Islands. So, they packed their bags and set off for a relaxing getaway together, away from their usual busy routines.

They reached the Canary Islands, and their first day there went smoothly. They greeted everyone, and many people asked Pedri how his leg was and if he was feeling okay. Pedri reassured everyone, saying he's okay and in the process of recovering. He mentioned that he would be back in a few weeks, so there was no need to worry. Despite the inquiries, it had been a great but tiring day for them.

The next day, Pedri's mom, Rosy, said she's throwing a big barbecue in the evening for everyone. Y/N, who likes cooking, offered to help. She learned a lot about cooking back in Barcelona with Fer, Pedri's brother.

In the kitchen, Y/N, Rosy and Fer teamed up to prepare the foods for the BBQ. They cut, grilled, and seasoned everything just right. The house smelled delicious.

Meanwhile, Pedri was playing video games on the couch with his cousin, Adrian. Then, Isabela arrived and sat on the couch and talked to the boys. Y/N walked into the living room with a plate of homemade croquetas. She gave one to Pedri, and he took a bite. He said, "Gracias amor, this is so good. Maybe you can write down how to make it, and we can have it at home later." He said then kissed her.

Y/N smiled and said, "Sure, I'll try my best, but I still can’t beat your mom, Pedro. Her croquetas are the best."

Pedri agreed, "Hahah sii, she is a great cook, and so are you love." he winked at her. Isabela couldn't hide her jealousy. She didn't like how close Pedri and Y/N seemed, so she rolled her eyes. Isabela decided to join the video game fun, hoping to get Pedri's attention. She squeezed in between Pedri and his cousin and said, "I wanna play the game too."

Fer, looking a bit tired from the kitchen, overheard and asked Y/N to help. Fer said, "Hey Y/N, can you help cut a few more veggies in the kitchen, please? I wanna join them play the games, and my mom are at the supermarket with my dad picking up a few things since mom forgot to buy it yesterday.”

Y/N chuckled and agreed, heading back to the kitchen.

Isabela, with a devious plan in mind, approached Y/N in the kitchen and saw her alone and said, "Hey, can you make some avocado smoothies for the boys? Fer loves peanut butter in his, so add a lot of it, okay?"

Y/N hesitated, knowing Fer's peanut allergy, and asked, "Wait, isn't Fer allergic to peanuts?"

Isabela brushed it off and replied, "Nah, he loves it. Just put some in, okay?"

Reluctantly, Y/N made the smoothies but decided not to add any peanut butter, concerned for Fer's safety. Holding the tray with the drinks, she headed back to the living room to give them to the boys.

As she entered the room with the smoothies, Isabela intercepted Y/N in the hallway and said, "Let me bring the smoothies to the boys. You can go upstairs or something."

Y/N, feeling like she needed to use the bathroom anyway, said, "Oh, Okay," and went upstairs, unaware of Isabela's true intentions. Little did she know, Isabela went to the kitchen and added some peanut butter to Fer’s smoothie before returning to the living room and giving it to them.

As Isabela handed the smoothies to the boys, she smiled and said, "Y/N made these for you guys." They thanked her, and Fer took a sip of the smoothie. Almost immediately, he began to itch, and his throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe.

Panicking, Isabela pretended to be shocked and said, "Oh my gosh, what's wrong, Fer? Are you okay?"

Struggling to speak, Fer managed to ask, "Is there any peanut in this smoothie?"

Isabela pretended to be clueless and said, "I don't know, Y/N made it. She must've put it in. We need to get you to the hospital now!"

Isabela's deception was becoming clearer as Fer's condition worsened. Y/N, unaware of the situation, was upstairs, and the situation had taken a dangerous turn due to Isabela's actions.

When Y/N returned to the living room and saw Fer in distress, she asked, "What's happening? Why is Fer coughing? Is he okay?"

Pedri, furious and protective of his family, couldn't contain his anger. He shouted at Y/N, "What did you do?! Why did you put peanut butter in the smoothies? You could've killed my brother!!"

Y/N, shocked and hurt by Pedri's accusation, vehemently replied, "¿Qué? I did not put any peanut butter in it! You think I don't know that Fer is allergic? What are you talking about Pedro?"

Pedri's anger remained unwavering, and he said to Fer, "Let's go to the hospital," and asked for Isabela's help to support Fer, excluding Y/N from the situation, making her feel like an outsider.

Y/N, despite her hurt feelings caused by Pedri's words and actions, genuinely cared about Fer's well-being. She insisted, "Wait, please, let me come too. I'm really worried about Fer."

Pedri, still seething with anger, said, "No, you cannot. It’s better for you to stay here. You've done enough already."

Y/N stood her ground and said, "No, I'm coming whether you like it or not. Fer is my friend too, and I'm really worried about him."

Isabela, trying to worsen the situation, chimed in, "Y/N, if I were you, I'd listen to Pedro, You're just making things worse. Come on, let's go,Pedro.”

Pedri turned to his cousin Adrian and said, "Adrian, call everyone and let them know the barbecue is off. Tell them something came up. Also, inform my mom and dad that we're heading to the hospital because something happened to Fer." Y/N felt left out and ignored in this situation.

Everyone left her alone at home. Pedri and Isabela took Fer to the hospital in Pedri's car, and Adrian went to the store to meet Pedri's parents before they all went to the hospital to check on Fer. Y/N asked Adrian if she could go too, but he said he didn't think it was a good idea and left her at home. She felt really sad and upset, tears started falling because she was so worried about Fer. What hurt even more was that everyone treated her like an outsider, including her own boyfriend, making her feel unimportant and excluded.

———————————————————

A little while later, Pedri and Isabela came back home. Pedri needed a shower and to change his clothes . Y/N asked him how Fer was doing, but Pedri ignored her. Isabela looked at Y/N with a mean grin, making Y/N feel even more upset and left out.

Isabela said, "Pedro, you should change, and then we can have dinner, alright? You haven't eaten anything since this afternoon." Pedri replied, "Yeah, thanks, Isabela. Let me take a shower first, and then we can go out to eat something."

Pedri walked to the bedroom, and Y/N followed him. She said, "Why are you ignoring me? I didn't do it. I did not put the peanut in Fer's drink. Don't you trust me, Pedro? Why would I want to do something to harm your family? It doesn't make any sense. Look at me, I'm talking to you." Y/N grabbed Pedri’s arm, but he dropped her hand and said, "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

Pedri went to take a shower, and Y/N couldn't help but cry. When Pedri got out of the shower and changed, Y/N tried to console him by saying, "Don't ignore me, Pedro. Talk to me, please. This is not you." But Pedri continued to ignore her and left the room and went to Isabela downstairs, leaving Y/N alone in the room. Then, they both left.

As it approached midnight, Y/N tried to call and text Pedri, she sent him messages asking

"Are you coming home tonight?”

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

“How's Fer? Is he okay now?"

“Please answer me, I’m worried about you. Come home, Pedro”

“We should talk, don’t ignore me like this. Please…”

“Take care of yourself, don’t forget to drink some water okay? Te quiero mucho Pedro, know that I love you with all my heart. I’ll be here waiting for you. Come home, I miss you so much.”

Pedri saw all of her messages but didn't pick up the call and chose to ignore her. Seeing the blueticks on her texts, Y/N felt heartbroken and cried herself to sleep.

—————————————————

The next morning, Y/N woke up alone in bed. When she went downstairs, she saw Rosy cooking breakfast, Pedri's dad eating at the table. Rosy invited her, saying, "Come here, eat." Y/N asked, "Where is Pedri?" Rosy replied, "Oh, Pedri fell asleep on the couch. He took a shower this morning and went to the hospital to pick up Fer."

A few hours later, Pedri returned home with Fer and Isabella. Y/N, concerned about Fer's well-being, asked him, "Are you okay?"

Fer laughed and replied, "I'm okay, sis. Don't worry, I'm a strong man." Y/N said, "I'm so sorry, I hope you feel better now. You should rest, okay, Fer?"

Fer sat on the couch and Y/N turned to Pedri, asking, "Hey, are you okay? Your mom told me you slept on the couch last night." Pedri, clearly annoyed, replied, "What do you want, Y/N?"

She then asked, "Are you still mad at me?" Pedri responded firmly, "Of course, I'm mad at you. You hurt my brother!" Y/N defended herself, saying, "I told you I didn't do it. Why can't you trust me?" Pedro firmly stated, "Because you're the one who made the smoothies!"

Fer interjected, trying to ease the tension, "Guys, don't fight. I'm okay now. Please chill." Pedri, however, remained resolute, saying, "No. What she did was unacceptable, and she doesn't want to admit it. She's so stubborn and won't admit her own fault."

Y/N defended herself, saying, "I know Fer is allergic to peanuts. He told me a long time ago. What do you think, I'm stupid?" She continued, "Isabella told me to put the peanut butter, but I didn't, because I know about his allergy."

Isabella, in response, tried to act innocent, saying, "What are you talking about, sweetie? I never said anything. Don't try to blame it on me." Tensions were running high as the truth seemed elusive.

Pedri was furious, and he shouted at her, "What, now you're gonna put the blame on Isabela? She's been friends with us since we were kids! She knows about Fer and me more than you!" Y/N, overwhelmed with emotion, couldn't hold back her tears any longer and said, "You know I would never lie to you. I'm telling you the truth, Pedro. It wasn't me."

Rosy stepped in, saying, “Vale, vale, that’s enough. You guys need some time to cool down. Let’s go, Y/N,” as she led her to another room to try to calm her down. Y/N realized she had messed up by implying that Isabela had told her to put the peanut butter. Pedro’s long history with Isabela made him trust her more than Y/N, who had only been with him for a year. Of course he would side with her. Now, she felt like she was in the wrong, appearing as the jealous one, and it made her seem crazy and bad in this situation.

PART 3???

[bestfriend491]

Your shield of protection

- A drabble 🤍 (Imagine she's in a suit, though. I didn't mention it, but just do it. 🤭)

Ramonda

There's no doubt that Ramomda protects the people she loves, but it's always different depending on who it is she's protecting.

For her kids, she'd move heaven and earth to save them.

For her people, she'd defend the entire nation by herself if she had to.

For you, though, she'd never let a threat even approach you without interfering in some way.

From when you were younger, paving your way into your desired career even as you held the weight of the crown, she supported you greatly.

Years later, she's still as protective.

It's subtle, but a detail in your relationship that you never take for granted.

She'd never even let you trip and stumble without reaching out to save you.

She supports you unconditionally, no questions asked.

“Sthandwa sam…” Ramonda put out her hand for you to take as you got off of your hoverbike, smiling at her often overdramatic, but always appreciated way of greeting you.

“Ewe? (Yes?) ” you replied, smiling.

She helped you shuffle your way next to her, the royal drivers going off with the bike and making his way around the corner. Then, she got a good look at you.

“You look absolutely ravishing tonight. Who picked that outfit?”

You laughed, “Oh, my wife did. You might know her, I think she's got to be around here somewhere.”

“Mh, well, wherever she is, she's got incredible taste.” She pulled you closer, holding your waist, before kissing you.

She always knew how to compliment someone, you found. Even as she twirled you around slowly to give her final decree of amazement, you could feel yourself getting flushed at her gaze.

“Are you ready for tonight?” She asked, leading you to the entrance of the long awaited ceremony that you'd been invited to receive an award at.

You'd never been more excited for something. You'd worked hard to gain even a small amount of recognition at what you did. But Ramonda also knew your nerves were probably shot, driving your anxiety to a higher level than usual. That's why she'd offered to escort you herself. In any other case, she wouldn't want to risk bringing too much attention to you both. You were already queen, having her come to your work events would only exacerbate the amount of people who came to disturb your peace, or worse, threaten your safety.

In many ways, you wanted to be in and out as fast as possible, but hearing her words made you less wary. You knew she had your back.

“Probably not. But, it's happening now. And I've got you, so I'm sure I'll be alright.”

She hummed at that, content with you knowing that whatever happened, she'd be right by your side.

You walked towards the entrance, seeing a flash directed at you once or twice as you proceeded. You assumed the first few were accidents, merely the photographers getting their mandatory pictures of whoever entered. It was only when your names were called that the flashes felt more intentional. An onslaught of white blinded you as the clicking sound filled your ears in an overwhelming sense. You felt yourself moving only slightly, trying to adjust to the new environment.

“Ramon-”

“I've got you, Sthandwa.” She reassured, her arm already around your waist, leading you to the less intense side of the building.

Her grip on you was firm, not one that any accidental pushing or nudging could lead you to separate. It was just what you needed; a message.

I'm never letting go, my love.

Your nerves settled, willing your vision to grow clearer even at the sight of farther away flashes. It led you to letting yourself smile for the first time since before you'd entered. There had to be at least some photos of you not looking horrified or on the verge of running away.

With Ramonda still wrapped around you, you found your way to your seats. With her on your left, her hand found the it's way to your knee, another act of reassurance. You let out a quiet sigh, breathing more regularly now.

The night went smoothly, with Ramonda never resisting the urge to share a quick glance with you. Her gaze was so mesmerising, so captivating, that you found yourself getting lost in it throughout the whole ceremony. You'd let yourself forget what you came here for if you could. Fortunately, your wife was less enchanted when it was important.

“Y/n, baby, they called your name.”

“What?” You asked, still in a daze.

“Your name, darling. They called it. It's time to go up.” Ramonda whispered tenderly.

The words finally registered, and you stood up with her support. Leading you towards the stage, she was sure to stay more vigilant of where you were stepping than you were.

Extending her arm to help you up the steps, but not going up them herself, you found yourself reaching for her instinctively. Plainly speaking, you were gonna get her on the stage with you.

“Come up.” You mouthed to her, keeping a smile on your face for the probing eyes.

She shook her head, not trying to make this a moment about the two of you. She wanted you to have your moment.

“Please?” You pleaded, holding her hand with all the poised firmness that you could manage. You knew that with enough force, she could easily get out of your grip, but you hoped that the former description would help your case. It was your grip. That always changed her level of resistance..

Unsurprisingly, but still bringing you much relief, she relented, stepping up and next to you. She left some distance just in case pictures of you needed to be taken, but you couldn't help but notice her stepping a pace in front of you, angling herself as a discreet shield.

The fact helped you through your speech, and back to your chairs. All through the night you felt her protective presence make you feel more at ease.

An ease that only she could bring.

[the-ooftroop]

wait im just finding out that through the other anon that the burntrap video was taken down, thats super sad i thought it was great - did you ever say why?

Alright, I'll get in depth about it as much as I can without airing too much interpersonal drama. It's all over with now, it shouldn't be an issue.

At the time, theory landscape around Burntrap was probably about as unpleasant as it could've gotten, and the video did NOT HELP. AT ALL.

Those of us in the discussion were frustrated to all hell about how people talked about the Mimic and Burntrap and wanted to try and add something new to the discussion- the problem is being so damn heated about it only stoked the flames and one of the people featured in it made a quick reputation of being a nightmare to deal with on Twitter any time people dared discuss Glitchmic in their own spaces. Constantly instigating arguments with people and making the whole concept of Afton = Burntrap tied to negative associations with the people arguing for it. Even when people did go after them, it could've easily been dealt with by letting them be and muting/blocking.

That's my hindsight talking, though. In the moment I was more blindsided by the negative reaction to it and how much heat my friends and I were getting, so I wasn't seeing that ultimately we were just fanning flames we didn't need to fan, and I ultimately enabled the bad behavior when I could've done more to stop it. For that, I'm sorry.

Failing to recognize the problems here caused a lot of issues for me later on, both publicly and privately- at the risk of being too on the nose, I don't associate with the person whose behavior instigated so much vitriol anymore.

At some point I *might* decide to revisit the topic of Burntrap on my own with a scripted video that I can make responsibly for the sake of just... having something interesting to talk about. The Scott interview was far more interesting to me than anything we've gotten story-wise in a while and I think it paints a much clearer picture of what might be going on with the character, but that's something for another time.

I will never bring back that old discussion video, though. It wasn't a healthy one, and it has too much personal baggage for me to wanna deal with it anymore regardless.

...I also just no longer believe the conclusion we drew by the end of it, anyway. I know it and the MXES video we followed it with had their moments of humor and intriguing points, but they're toast. It's not worth bothering with, but hopefully I can make up for that one way or another.

[mauesartetc]

Thoughts on Helluva Boss 205 ("Unhappy Campers")

Wow, this... This one may actually be worse than Murder Family. That's impressive.

Is anyone else noticing a pattern of Helluva Boss episodes going absolutely nowhere? Each one ends without affecting the larger plot in any meaningful way. Season 1's structure was fairly episodic as well, but at least back then there was some sense of progression.

I usually include separate lists of pros and cons in these critiques, but in this case, I have so few compliments to give this thing it's not worth it. I tried my best to find more to like about this episode, but it gave me bupkis to work with. So I'll just present all my notes in chronological order.

Let's get this over with.

-Looks like the rehab facility where Barb used to live is located in Sloth (on account of the floating islands and all the pink in the environment), just like the hospital in this season's previous episode. We've never seen care centers in any other ring, so... Does Hell society's opinion of sick people dictate that they're just lazy? Some clarification on that might be nice.

-"She's got a job now. A life. Don't fuck it up by findin' her." Holy shit, the nurse is the most mature, sympathetic character in this entire episode. Tasing Blitzo in the butthole earns her bonus points in my book. Nurse Pussyface, you are way too good for this show.

-Why is Blitzo even trying to visit his sister if he's been kicked out of the facility several times and knows she hates him? What's the impetus? "Look, I know you hate my guts, but Dad's dead, and he named you in the will." Or maybe he had an experience that reminded him of her and figured he'd drop by to see how she was? Y'know, something.

-By the way, Helluva's animation is usually a highlight, but here there's not much to say about it. It wasn't especially memorable or ambitious; just kinda... passable. Even the climactic fight scene (which I'll get to later) didn't have much to write home about.

-How the hell didn't the client notice the holes in his boat before he rowed it out into deep water? Because I'm pretty sure it would leak when it was still in the shallow end of the lake, unless this is a unique real-life boating phenomenon I'm not aware of. Also, you'd think this guy was a bit too gung-ho to get out on the lake for someone who can't swim. Did someone have a gun to your head, dude?

Fun fact: Did y'all know I was on staff at a summer camp once? We had a pond, canoes, and a boathouse just like the camp in this episode. One thing we had that this camp apparently doesn't, however, is this important rule: No one gets in a canoe without a life jacket. EVER. But, well... We see later that the adults at this camp don't care much about safety, so I guess that's fair enough. (Though I'm curious how they manage to stay open, or what the client's loved ones have to say about his mysterious disappearance.)

-What did the client do to get sent to Hell after he died? Mrs. Mayberry murdered someone, so that's why she's here, but this kid seems pretty chill-? (And don't even try to explain this on Twitter, writers. If it's not in the story itself, it ain't canon.) I also can't help but notice that his design reflects the way he died, but every other sinner's appearance is just random. Consistency? Who needs it!

-Some unintentional hilarity for ya: Here's Millie's face after the client recounted his death.

And she holds this pose for the remainder of the scene. Was there NO direction on how to animate Millie here?! This is a grim situation and she's smiling?! I get that she's a demon, but damn that is cold. It's never been clearer that half her role in this story is just smiling and looking cute, to the point the animators don't know what else to do with her.

-Richard Horvitz's valley girl voice was kinda funny. I dug it. Not sure why Moxxie and Millie had to dress in drag for anything other than cheap laughs, though.

-I know Millie's hurtin' for more development, but this story's conflict would have made SO much more sense from a character standpoint if Moxxie were getting all the praise from the campers. Think about it: He's the one Blitzo always shits on and doesn't believe in. He's the one whose father doesn't love him. He's the one who never gets positive attention from anyone except his wife. Suddenly the conflict is much more compelling: Now that he has approval from these humans, maybe he doesn't need it from Blitzo anymore (not sure why he needed his approval in the first place, but whatever). Maybe he'd realize what he's been missing, and how shitty Blitzo's treatment has been in comparison. Could this be the breaking point that finally gets him to muster some self-respect and quit IMP? We'll never know, because the episode has miscalculated where the most interesting dilemma actually lies.

As far as we can tell, Millie's had zero reason to doubt herself, and we never see her being mistreated like Moxxie has.

Take these lines of dialogue: "And for once I feel like... Like I'm important! Like I'm somebody to be proud of!"

Wouldn't they fit so much better if they came out of Moxxie's mouth?

-I kinda liked how the lyrics of Millie's song were humble while Moxxie's lyrics were egotistical, showing that being down to earth will win you friends while being self-centered will turn people off. But is that really the kind of message we need in an adult show? It's a useful lesson for children, but after you hit the age of this series' target demographic, most people will have the social skills to know better than to pull what Moxxie did at the campfire.

-Speaking of Moxxie being super immature, why does he weep when a bunch of preteens ignores him? They're...They're kids, Mox. They aren't your peers. Literally who cares. This behavior makes no sense outside of (once again) cheap humor. I could understand being bummed out that you're not good with kids if you wanted to have your own someday, but even that doesn't warrant actual tears. And this makes him look like a massive hypocrite later on when he asks Millie why it matters what "these yokels" feel about her. I mean... You seemed to care a lot about how they saw you, Moxxie...

-Moxxie's excuse for why it's so hard for him to get information on the case is that everyone's too busy "swooning over" Millie. Here's a thought: Why doesn't Millie get the info? She's the one everyone likes, so it should be a snap, right? Well, once again, the characters get railroaded because the writers can't entertain any other plot ideas. And of course Moxxie ends up getting blamed for everything as if he's the only one who fucked up here.

-Why the hell would a summer camp show so much favoritism toward a single camper that they set up a friggin' concert for this camper and this camper only? Yeah yeah, "viral sensation" and everything, but 1) The news crew can wait another day or so for camp to end in order to conduct an interview (y'know, something that wouldn't require a huge-ass stage and pyrotechnics that'd cost the camp boatloads of money), and 2) The camp staff thinks Millie is a child. How fucking irresponsible can you get to lavish this much attention on a kid? Think it'll go to her head or something? Psssh nah. Also, you're telling me none of the other campers are the tiniest bit jealous? How do you think they feel, seeing this one kid get treated like a god while they're left in the dust?

Okay, plot-wise, the writers decided they wanted Millie to sing a song so she's occupied during the final showdown with the killer. Easy solution: Camp talent show. That way, the adults treat all the campers equally, and Millie gets her (more believable) moment in the spotlight.

-Oh hey, we finally see Asmodean crystals in action. And of course the first one we see is a butt plug.

SuCh a MAturE shOw, GUys! (Sorry, I'm still laughing my head off at that.)

So, a bit of backstory for those who aren't familiar: We first learned of Asmodean crystals in the Season 2 premiere, when Stolas opened the grimoire to reveal Norse runes on its pages. Someone on the internet was kind enough to translate:

Now here's the deal: Blitzo tells the lust demon to open the portal with his crystal (even threatening him at gunpoint), leading me to believe only non-imps could use Asmodean crystals and that's why he needed the grimoire to get to the human world.

But guess what happens later:

Blitzo's sister Barb, another imp, uses a crystal on her bracelet to open a portal back to Hell. So what exactly was the point of stealing the grimoire from Stolas??

BLITZO. YOU. DENSE. MOTHERFUCKER.

Okay, maybe I'll be generous and acknowledge that there might be another explanation, like Blitzo getting banned from using Asmodean crystals because he's misused them in the past. (Maybe there's a spell that causes the crystals to burn him every time he tries to hold one. Something of that nature.) But at this point I don't trust these writers to fill in their plot holes. Or plot portals, as the case may be.

-The portals themselves are kinda pretty, though. I can appreciate that they look different from the portals created by the grimoire.

-Moxxie calls Blitzo "sir" in this episode despite Blitzo telling him to use his first name in Truth Seekers. Moxxie then uses it in "Ozzie's" (if I remember correctly), but now he's back to "sir" for unexplained reasons-? Coupled with how their relationship has reverted back to square one with Blitzo learning nothing (as well as no one bringing up the agents or what they can do to stop them leaking the proof that demons exist), do the writers just want us to forget that episode or what?

-Blitzo chastises Moxxie for dragging the case out for a week, but it took him a week to track down Barb. This hypocrisy is never addressed.

-At the boathouse, Blitzo tells Moxxie he's looking for his sister, then kicks down the door, revealing Barb inside. Moxxie asks, "Do you know her?" "Do I know her? That's my sister, fuckface!" That's... oddly repetitive, writers. I get that Moxxie wouldn't immediately make the connection since Barb's disguised as a human, but there's a more graceful way to handle that in the dialogue. Something like, "Is this her?" "Oh, now you're on the ball!"

-In an earlier post I expressed concern that these writers wouldn't handle Barb's addiction well, and I'm somewhat relieved they didn't go into it. But I also predicted she'd amount to a genderbent Blitzo instead of having her own personality, and... well...

Overindulges in addictive substances? Check. Runs a business that requires travel to the human world? Check. Pottymouth? Check. Uses sexuality as leverage? Check.

It would've been nice to at least get a hint about what Blitzo did to make her hate him so much (and perhaps confronting that would make him rethink how he treats Moxxie-?), but I guess we'll have to find out when she comes back in seven episodes or so. Yaaaaay.

-Barb says she picked this particular human as her supplier because teenagers are easy to manipulate, but she really had no way to accomplish that other than flashing her panties at him? Assuming Barb and Blitzo are the same age, she's in her 30s, and... it's just a tad creepy and uncalled for, even if this kid's legal. That's a pretty big age (and power) gap regardless. This is one of those times when it looks a lot more predatory when you switch the genders, but, importantly, women can be predators too. Bad optics, y'all.

-The climactic fight scenes in prior episodes were snappy and exciting, but this one's pacing felt really sluggish. I get that the song in the background had a slower tempo than we're used to in these action scenes, but would it have been so hard to double-time the animation? Also, previous fight scenes were notable for their creative choreography, but Barb wrapped her tail around Moxxie twice in a row. Having trouble coming up with new fight moves, guys? Like damn, she's an acrobat. She could do so much more.

-In another edition of "characters being idiots because plot", Moxxie and Millie make out in front of everyone who thinks they're related. They couldn't have run off to somewhere more private?? Apparently no; this needed to happen so Millie's internet fame would be dashed... or, here's another option: Show how the internet popularity cycle is so damn short that everyone's already moved on to the next sensation. You could have made that funny if you actually put in some effort. Like... The faux-incest was just so unnecessary.

-Much like Murder Family, another unfunny ending where Moxxie's dreams are crushed. Blitzo gets his hopes up only to call him a "fuckin' disgrace". But remember, guys: He'S HArd oN hiM BEcauSE hE CAreS! (Fuck it, I think I'll just edit a supercut of every time Blitzo has berated Moxxie, pre- and post-Truth Seekers.)

Oh and look, Millie's glaring at Blitzo, which is totally the same as opening her mouth to tell him off like he deserves, right?

She'll take on a whole gang of mobsters out of love for Moxxie, but standing up to Blitzo? Whoa, that's a step too far. Y'know, because he's the writers' favorite and he shouldn't have to experience any complications from his behavior. Same old story as it's been for a season and a half.

This ending would've been a million times better if it left off on a cliffhanger. Maybe this could have been Moxxie's final breaking point. After Blitzo calls him a disgrace, Moxxie could take a deep breath and...

MOXXIE: (flatly) I quit.

Then he walks out of the room. Everyone looks after him, stunned. When he closes the door, the screen cuts to black and the credits roll.

Oh shit, what's going to happen next? How will Blitzo deal with this? How will it affect Moxxie and Millie's home life? What kind of new job will Moxxie find to keep food on the table? Will he ever come back to IMP, or will Blitzo find a replacement? I know these writers aren't too interested in serialization or any sense of continuity outside of the stupid romance subplot (or hell, inside it), but good god, it would give viewers some exciting possibilities to look forward to.

This episode had so much potential and followed through on none of it. "Unhappy Campers" turned out to be a more fitting title than expected, as that's exactly what I was while watching this.

(Also this show needs a continuity coordinator like yesterday.)