#Jack is a good friend but he's a really bad ally

[ill-say-anything-i-hafta]

"You wanna bust your other leg too?" is such a fucking shitty thing to say, Jack! This is Crutchie's life. His livlihood. He understands the stakes better than anyone.

I only have one good eye (sort of good? let's just say one eye i can use to do my job that gets me paid) and YES I've been like this my whole life and YES I'm still very sensitive about it. It is not fodder for friendly jokes. If a person I loved and trusted said something like this to me, I would lose it.

[mutable-manifestation]

Actual Scientists Jack & Maddie AU Part 3

Part 1 & 2

***

The lab is empty when they get to Fenton Works, his parents busy off helping the JLD wherever it was they were working from.

The journey the rest of the way to the Far Frozen passes relatively quickly under the weight of discussing how to reverse engineer the sarcophagus of forever sleep to make Naptime Box 2: Vlad Edition.

Could they probably just beat him up with the right plan and aid? Sure. But then they risk having to play royal hot potato (Danny doesn't want it and he doubts most of the allies he has would want the extra responsibility. Assuming there are responsibilities - Danny wouldn't know since there hasn't been a king, for all intents and purposes, since well before he became a halfa so who knows what the position even means in the context of the Zone).

Plus it would be way more satisfying to shove him in a box. Vlad gets a nice long nap and Danny gets to live the rest of his half-life without worrying about his Dad getting stabbed or something if Vlad starts feeling impatient.

It would also give Danny plenty of time to find some way to buy the Packers - not because he wants them, just because it would be really funny if Vlad eventually woke up to find that the only thing he wanted other than Maddie was now also very permanently out of reach.

The city of Green Bay could fold eventually, after all. But Danny? Danny would never yield, just to spite him, and Vlad would know that.

He probably won't actually do it, seeing as a) expensive and b) probably complicated.

But it would be really funny.

Their discussion on the ethics of using the Fenton Stockades as the base for the Box cut off as they land.

Without the distraction of their chat the adrenaline of panic comes rushing back, and he transforms as he steps out of the Speeder, nyooming to hover in front of Frostbite so quickly that the entire welcoming party - Frostbite somehow manages to have one arranged every time he drops by, and Danny is usually willing to at least try and indulge them since it seems to make them happy - jolts in surprise.

"Greetings!" Frostbite smiles wide, arms open in a grand welcoming, the only hint of lingering surprise the trails of slightly puffed up fur up his arms and the sides of his neck that has already mostly smoothed itself back out. "The Far Frozen welcomes the Great One and friends-"

"Hey Frostbite sorry for being abrupt but I'm kind of freaking out and you seemed like the best person - uh, ghost to go to because you always seem to know lots of things and I kind of need to know what's going on as soon as possible just in case it's a worst case scenario because the Justice League came to talk to my parents about some papers and I probably haven't mentioned them to you before because they're awful and I thought my parents made them but surprise I was wrong! Which is good! Except the League was mostly worried about them maybe causing the new ghost king to war with the human realm because apparently there's a supernatural branch of the Justice League and they think there's a new Ghost KingTM as in the Ghost King after Pariah Dark and I'm kind of freaking out because if there is a new ghost king there's actually a chance it's Vlad and oh ancients please tell me it's not Vlad or that the League heard wrong please."

Sam and Tucker had caught up by then, coming to stand on either side of him as Frostbite blinked.

"You are...asking me the identity of the current High King?" He asks, face scrunched in a bewildered expression.

"Oh my gosh Batman was right!?" He floats a bit higher at the news. "Please just tell me it's not Vlad! Uh, Plasmius."

"Plasmius?" Frostbite asks, eyebrows crawling higher. "Certainly not! What in the realms - do you truly not know?"

"Oh thank goodness," Danny sighs, sinking back to his usual level. "Not Vlad, okay, one less disastrous possibility. And whoever it is probably already knows they're the king and nothing bad has happened yet so it's probably fine, right?"

He looks back to meet Frostbite's eyes.

"Wait, nothing bad has happened yet, right? Like, is everything okay? I know Pariah caused you guys a lot of grief before; the new guy 's not going around causing trouble for you and you just haven't told me because you're worried about being a bother, right?" He frets, eyes flicking about, searching for fresh injuries on the various members of the welcoming party.

"...No, Great One," Frostbite answers, blinking away the surprised expression to be replaced by something soft. "Though I, and all the Far Frozen, are honored by your concern. While Pariah Dark is no longer the High King of the Infinite Realms, I can assure you, with utmost certainty, that you have nothing to fear from his successor. But I believe we have much more to discuss. Come, let us find somewhere more comfortable to talk - and get your human friends out of the cold."

***

It didn't take them long to reach a sitting room, and soon enough they were all settled into the enormous, fuzzy chairs in one of the warmer rooms available, Danny and Frostbite each with a cup of shaved ice tea while Sam and Tucker were offered beverages warm enough to steam in deference to their need for warmth.

Once everyone had taken a sip - or bite - Danny launched back into his questioning.

"So did Dark have a kid hidden away somewhere or did some kind of council finally decide on his replacement? Actually can ghosts even have - wait right Box Lunch, forgot about that on purpose but never mind. Or is there some fourth option that isn't those or trial by combat that we didn't think of?"

"Before I answer that, Great One, may I ask why you have already discounted trial by combat?" He returns curiously.

"Because if it was trial by combat it would be Vlad - er, Plasmius - and you already said it isn't him."

"Or it could be you," Tucker ribs, waggling his fingers at him.

"We already talked about why it couldn't be me, Tuck," Danny huffs, rolling his eyes and taking another bite of his... smoothie?

"Oh? And why do you think it would be Plasmius?" Frostbite asks.

"Because! I may have fought Pariah Dark, and sure I put him back in the sarcophagus, but I was running on fumes by that point, and he was still slamming around in there! Vlad, as much as I hate to admit it, is the one that turned the key and made sure he stayed locked away. It took almost everything I had to keep him pinned long enough. If...if he'd been even a few seconds later I probably would've died the rest of the way before he even had the time to break out a second time."

"But had you not put him there, no key would have mattered," Frostbite begins quietly. "Plasmius was no match for Pariah Dark; he was defeated in an instant the first time they clashed."

"Well, yeah, but so was I," he protests, not liking the direction the conversation is beginning to take.

"And yet, you alone went to face him a second time. You alone stood against the King of All Ghosts while your armies clashed."

"Our-!? I didn't have- you mean the ghosts that came to help me???" Danny sputtered, incredulous. "They weren't an army they were just-"

He pauses, searching for words that would not come.

"They were just a large group of ghosts who sided with you, who aided you in combat and kept the multitudes distracted while you went to face their leader alone. However you thought of them at the time, whatever they were to you up till then or are to you now, after, in that moment they were your army."

"Danny's totally the ghost king, isn't he?" Sam drawls after the brief silence that follows.

"Indeed," Frostbite answers her, but he looks Danny in the eyes as he does so. "You are the savior of the Ghost Zone, Pariah's Bane. And you are the High King of the Infinite Realms."

"I cheated!" Danny blurts out, shooting up to float above his chair.

"Cheated?" Frostbite's lips twitch as he fights down a smile.

"I had the Fenton Ecto-Skeleton! That's totally cheating! Don't combat trials have to be honorable or something?!" He begs.

Frostbite chuckles.

"I apologize, Great One, but I am afraid there is no such thing as an honorable war," he says, expression briefly turning solemn. "And even if it were, just as you had your "Ecto-Skeleton," did not Pariah have his ring and crown?

You issued a challenge and he answered, your armies clashed while the two of you stood against each other and each other alone; you alone put him back into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, and you alone held it shut long enough for Plasmius to turn the key.”

Danny drifts back down to his seat as Frostbite speaks, then continues slouching further with every word.

“I am given to understand that Plasmius likes to think of others as pawns on his own personal chessboard,” he says, “But at the time he was but another ghost, come to fight Pariah's army on your behalf - as a member of your army. A pawn, to paraphrase his own words, that you used to topple a king - not through any intentional manipulation, but through the sheer magnetic charisma of your willingness to stand against monsters like Pariah Dark and of your ability to do so. The confidence to stand alongside you that such strength inspires. 

He would not have approached if he did not believe you could win - would not risk endangering himself so. At best, you could consider him a referee, calling the match to a close once it was decisively in your favor.

Plasmius may think of existence as a game with himself as the only player, and he may have been acting in his own self-interest overall, but by every measure, in this instance, he was undeniably your piece.

The Zone itself acknowledges your right to rule by the way the crown of fire sits where you left it, unmoving on the floor of Pariah's keep until the day you finally choose to wear it, no matter how many hands may try to move it."

Frostbite's words are slow and measured, but as undeniable as the creeping of a glacier. And by the time they cease, Danny has sunk so far as to end up an undignified heap on the floor before his chair.

The trio remains silent as they absorb his words.

Minutes pass before Danny finally speaks.

"If the crown can't be taken, then how did I get it from Pariah?" He questions, a final hope that Frostbite may be mistaken.

"It will only remain unmoved until you first put it on. After that, it will be up to you whether it stays safe on your head."

Danny groans his despair, final bit of hope shattered.

"I must apologize again, Great One," he says solemnly. "Had I known you were unaware of your station, I would have informed you sooner."

He frowns heavily, looking into the distance thoughtfully.

"The Observants should have informed you long before now."

"Well, that explains it. The Observants hate Danny's guts," Tucker says.

"To neglect their duties for such a reason...," He trails off, his glower highlighting the inhuman nature of his visage. 

The trio fidget.

Danny coughs after a few seconds of tense silence.

“Uh, speaking of duties,” he begins, relaxing as Frostbite’s expression smooths back into something kind and polite as he listens, “What exactly does the Ghost King even do? Like. Pariah was locked away for… a long time? I guess. So does the Zone even need a King? Can’t I just, like, resign?”

“I suppose it might seem that way from a younger ghost’s perspective - Pariah has been locked away for millenia, after all, and the Zone is still in one piece.” 

Frostbite pauses, leaning back in his seat and taking another bite of his drink. 

“However. What you must understand, Great One, is that the problems caused by the absence of a king in the Infinite Realms are not the whirlwind that such a thing would be in the living realm - social order is affected, but the speed of bureaucracy is slower by orders of magnitude in the Realms, and there is not the same level of inter-reliance that the living tend to require - but rather, they are winds and waters sliding against a rock, chipping away at it bit by bit until it is either worn smooth… or the whole structure collapses under its own weight.”

“How does not having a king cause dimensional collapse!?” Tucker shrieks, clutching his cup like a lifeline.

“How long do we have before it collapses?” Sam asks urgently not a second later.

“Oh shit, how long do we have before it collapses???” he echoes, hunching over his cup enough that the steam adds a layer of fog to his glasses.

Danny sits bolt upright, whipping wide eyes away from his friends to join them in staring at Frostbite.

“Total collapse would take millenia more to truly begin,” he placates before taking a more grave expression. “This does not mean that there will not be issues before that point, however; the symptoms of the High King’s absence have begun to show this past millennium. But rest assured, there is time enough to heal the wounds that have been wrought. The only permanent damage would be the collapse itself, and that, as I said, is millenia away.”

“Is… is that why you never mentioned it to me before?” Danny asks, dropping back to the ground in relief. “Because it’s not urgent and you figured I’d just…get to it eventually? Actually, why did you think I knew if you knew that the crown was still in Pariah’s Keep?”

“It is the duty of the Observants to observe, but also, as you have experienced, to oversee - the timeline, trials, the general functioning of the zone. Without a king to report to, much of their ability to act is crippled, of course - their ability to interfere directly with the timeline has always been severely restricted, their options for sentencing are severely reduced, and there are some things the Realms require that only the High King can provide - but one duty remains unaffected: overseeing the ascension of new kings. 

Coronations have taken many forms in the past, from a quick swap in the battlefield to a formal ceremony to a celebration that lasted a decade. Given the dark era we are, at last, able to put behind us and the non-urgent nature of even the most severe problems that the Realms are currently affected by, I had assumed that the large delay was in preparation for that last form - the lead-up to a grand celebration.”

“Except instead it’s just them being petty,” Sam notes, sitting back up from her own relieved slouch. 

Danny groans, leaving his tea to float and covering his face with his hands.

“Why couldn’t it have just been as easy as shoving Vlad in a box,” he whines.

“I mean, we still can?” Tucker offers, prompting Sam to smack him over the head before pausing consideringly.

“OW!”

“He might be right, actually,” she says, ignoring his exclamation. “Given Vortex’s trial and sentencing, there’s clearly some kind of legal system in the Zone that isn’t just Walker on a power trip. No doubt he’s broken some kind of Actual Realms Law - I’d be surprised if breaking Pariah out like he did wasn’t some form of highly illegal - so you could probably send him to actual Ghost Jail. It’s certainly where he belongs, given all the….”

She makes a vague gesture with her hand in lieu of words.

“That doesn’t resolve the problem of I Don’t Wanna Be A King!” Danny exclaims, sitting back and throwing his hands in the air.

Then he turns to Frostbite, eyes pleading. 

“Can’t you be king?” he asks. 

Frostbite opens his mouth to reply, but Danny steamrolls over him.

“It makes sense! You already know how to lead people! And your people love you! You already know about all the king stuff too! You’ve beaten me in spars before! We’d just have to go to the keep, I put on the crown, you beat me, and problem solved!”

Frostbite’s smile is a mix of amused and pitying.

“I have only ever beaten you in training spars, Great One, and you and I both know that is largely because they were focused on improving your skill with ice and ice alone. Even if I could defeat you in a true all-out fight as you are, I believe you underestimate the boost granted by the crown of fire.”

“I can just put it on then take it off again before we fight! And we can stick to ice!”

“I’m afraid it is not so simple,” he shakes his head. “If you do not give it your all, the crown - the Realms - will not recognize the transition. The only way to “throw the match” successfully would require your opponent to fully End you: to crush your core and snuff your spirit from the very fabric of existence. I am unwilling to do such a thing, and I sincerely hope you would not ask it of me - or, indeed, of anyone.”

Danny paled enough that he nearly matched his human form in skin tone.

“Right. Let’s… let’s not do that, actually.”

“On the bright side, you can probably weasel ruling tips out of Aquaman in exchange for not declaring war on the Living Realm!” Tucker chirps, aiming to cheer him up.

“I’m not going to threaten the Justice League!” he yelps, scandalized.

“But you probably won’t have to threaten them,” Sam chimes in. “They’re already trying to summon you, you already know their goal is to avoid a war. As long as you don’t ask for anything unreasonable, they should be inclined to give you what you want in exchange for peace.”

“Once you offer peace, they will be invested in your successful rule of their own volition as a means of perpetuating said peace,” Frostbite corrects. “If you would like to set preconditions to an accord you should make them things that will not readily be given as a result of said accord. But before we discuss further, perhaps you can fill me in on why war was a concern in the first place? I believe you mentioned something about papers?”

[crooked-wasteland]

I’m weirdly torn about Lite’s character arc.

On one hand, feminine rage (yes please), she’s the only one who understands Hell can BE A THREAT (sure, Charlie and Pentious are nice and all, but there are other people in Hell who are probably not well intentioned), she’s rightfully pissed that her role as second in command was overlooked for some (admittedly sweet) guy who doesn’t even wanna be here, and she’s rightfully upset that her sisters and best friend/man she loved were murdered in a job that she was authorized to do by the supposed good guys. She shouldn’t be seen as the bad guy for being convinced by others that what she was doing was right, and is upset when she’s told all her work, her allies, and Adam being killed meant nothing.

On the other hand, she’s being depicted as the bad guy. I’m not saying she needs to be sympathetic, 100% likable, uwu babey. But her pain and issues are being brushed aside to make her appear like the stereotypical “crazy bitch” who will probably be the villain of the season, or at least A villain. Not the antagonist, the VILLAIN. Her grief and valid opposition is more than likely going to be villainized, when in reality, she may be cold and sadistic, but I don’t this Lute is ultimately a bad person. She spent her existence fighting for what she was told is right by a holy figure. Not some cultist or priest who says God talks to them, but THE ACTUAL HIGH SERAPH. She was convinced angels don’t make mistakes, to the point she never questioned that in all her cruelty, if she was right or wrong. She believed she was right. If this were on Earth, on could compare this to crusaders or people who force conversions or kill anyone who doesn’t agree with their beliefs. But I don’t think that can really apply, because Lite isn’t human, she lives in HEAVAN. Religious asshole humans aren’t comparable to ANGELS who are familiar with THE SPEAKER FOR GOD HIMSELF. So her genuine belief she is doing good is understandable, but will probably be what makes her villainized. Or maybe it will be the fact she’s in mourning? Who knows! Viv will never skimp on presenting a woman as a villain for the flimsiest of reasons.

And on the other other hand. Yes, it suck a huge part of her motivation is her connection to a MAN (the first man, no less) who is a douchebag. But idk if that’s that big of an issue. For all her being sad her boss/love interest/a dude died, there’s also her being angry that her position as leader was passed over for some guy as well. I’m not saying it evens out, but maybe it does? Not to mention that even though Adam was a dick, he was more than just a man/asshole/boss/probably misogynist, he was also her friend, someone she looked up to as a leader, and still was comfortable enough to hang out with when not on the job. He called he names, but that might’ve been out of familiarity rather than genuine malice or sexism. Then again, Viv never really let us learn Jack shit about Adam as a person, other than CHARLIE GOOD, ADAM BAD. So while it is kind of iffy from one perspective for Lute’s arc to be connected to Adam, I don’t think it’s an issue of gender, and more of the fact that she meant something to him.

Sorry for the long ask, but what’re your thoughts?

I agree with pretty much all of this. I think she is an extremely compelling character and I think her deeper character reasons for being a real villain are solid. I even think the song itself is genuinely good at showing that Lite isn't only raging about some guy. The actual meat of her character is really well balanced on paper, and the song does a decent job of depicting that ...

Until it gets to Adam.

The issue is the poor pacing of the writers and how we never got to see Lute and Adam as much. Lute is extremely formal in most of the scenes in the early part of Hazbin. Calling Adam "sir" doesn't give the impression of "best friends", so she does come off as oddly obsessed, especially with the rushed "crazy bitch" routine as you pointed out. We don't actually have a strong foundation for their relationship. Additionally, the revival of Adam as a figment of Lute's imagination as she falls into some form of psychosis is just rather silly. I understand it's to give Lute someone to talk to, but it makes Adam as a love interest is the most important characterization.

I do completely agree with your points on Lute's character. She has excellent motivation, and a clear arc that I also think is worth the effort. It just suffers from weak world building and lazy shortcuts.

[wispythreads]

The Lair of the Shadowbroker DLC definitely earned its fan praise, in my opinion. This feels like Mass Effect 1 level of artistry and level design, I love it.

There were like, way too many enemies, and I still don't really feel great about how they changed Liara in just a two year time gap between the games, but I appreciate the way this DLC handled it, it made an effort that resulted in her feeling more like how she felt in the first game.

The scene after Tela got revealed as the one who had been trying to murder Liara at the start of all this was rough, Shepard and her slipping off the window ledge, falling together, slowed down only by Tela's biotics until she shoves Shepard the rest of the way to the ground, while she gets to gently float down to make her escape. That impact looked like it HURT, especially with how much effort she had to put into getting back up again.

Shepard honestly sounded so grumpy and dejected as she said "I'm okay, by the way, thanks for asking." before hopping into the car with Liara.

And speaking of the car, I loved the banter between Liara and Shepard the whole way through, but particularly during the car chase, which was really fun! "Head on Collision!" - Liara "I hear that's bad for people." - Shepard. All the little bits of back and forth were so great to listen to, wouldn't mind replaying just for that bit of the DLC alone.

The actual Lair itself was so so so pretty.

The boss fight against the Shadowbroker is probably my favorite across all all of Mass Effect 1 and 2? Especially with the cutscenes where Shepard realizes ah ok ammo won't do anything that's fine I'll just punch him

Really cool alien design too.

Mini thoughts from snooping on my squadmates dossiers below.

Straight up chortling over Mordin and Kirrahe's bickering and how it is preserved in their mission report He really should've realized something was going to be up on Maelon's end... Nice of them to try and shelter him from any repercussions for his outburst, but he needed followed up on much sooner than when Mordin thought he'd been kidnapped. The list of threat analysis against all the other main species holy- not surprising, honestly, based on what is known about Salarians, but still pretty interesting ... So not only is he a musical enthusiast in his spare time but also a Bill Nye the Science Guy type? That's neat. Good for him.

I hope we get to reunite Jack with her mom. That would be nice.

LEGION IS A GAMER I love this little cluster of AI so much. He has so many infractions on that online game that technically are true due to the fact that he's. Not an organic being. But the only one that sticks is him taunting other players- that's so silly aww… he bought the highest (and most likely most expensive) version of a game that was fundraising for the events of Eden Prime, just for the fundraiser. He did not play that game at all. He even tried a dating simulator oh my gosh. I don't think he's hopeless =( what a mean ranking for a dating sim. He's spent so much time on it, too… (not as much as the other games, but still a significant time investment my gosh)

ahhh this is where Grunt's fanon characterization of being Shepard's son starts coming in. I do think the main game version of him and his relationship with Shepard, a paragon!Shepard at that, is interesting, but it wasn't lining up with what I was seeing online. (and by main game version I mean the transition of [Talking about how great it is we've got so many strong enemies to fight against] "I don't plan on living like this forever" "Talk like that and it won't be your choice. I'm sure as hell not quitting with a whimper. Just so you're clear where we stand." [Hyper aggressive and enjoying memories of gruesome kills] "I'm not sure I want to keep coming down for these talks..." "Whatever. Don't have to be friends to be allies." [Still hyper aggressive and enjoying memories of gruesome kills] "Y'know, I kind of thought connecting with your past would bring stability." "Ha! See, now we're having fun. Me remembering good deaths, and you with your... funny human thing you're doing.") I think there is something very sweet about him being enamored with dinosaurs and looking up to Shepard so much that he wants to know about the whole of Humanity's history as warriors :')

The transmission between Samara and her daughters... all the things she had to give up in order to become a Justicar...

!!! THANE GET THE LUNG TRANSPLANT YOU HAVE A SON YOU NEED TO CONNECT WITH AND I CARE ABOUT YOU SO MUCH DON'T JUST GIVE UP AND DIE IN A YEAR!! LIVE! LIVE AS A PERSON AND NOT A WEAPON!! I love how his kill methods are so elaborate and the alternate methods are equally intricate, with the Krogan's main method understandably being the most involved and calculated. And then you get to their alternate method and it's just one word. It gives this impression of hands to his head exhausted and resigned.

... Garrus's family… his mom…. god that's hitting a little too close to my heart....

[shitposttcentral]

What The RDR2 Characters Would Do At Pride || pt 1

Arthur Morgan - He is happily celebrating! He has 2 dads, a husband, and a son (Lenny) he thinks may be lgbt. So he's celebrating extra hard okay lots of rainbows lots of cheering. This is his Super Bowl. He isn't opposed to blocking homophobes from being awful. Dutch Van Der Linde - At first he's trying to adopt more little displaced/homeless LGBT youth to join their found family. When Hosea tells him to stop he does focus on the others and making sure everyone has a good time. Bill Williamson - On a float waving a Bear Pride Flag. Had no idea everyone else was coming was embarrassed at first but just avoided them the rest of the night and didn't talk about it after. Lenny Summers - Sporting that vintage I ❤️ My Gay Dads shirt he found in the back of Arthur's closet. He's bi and not quite ready to come out yet but we'll get there. For now, he just says he's there to be supportive. Kieran Duffy: A guy hits on him and he says he has a girlfriend. Then he feels so bad he spends the rest of the night trying to over-enthusiastically be an ally. Signed up to volunteer at some events and kept shouting ALLY. Mary-Beth Gaskill: Is trying to reign in Kieran from all the apologizing and shouting ally. She bought some really cute stuff from booths though and has made lots of friends to craft with. Uncle: They lost him at some point and everyone kind of panicked until they saw him sitting on a float with a bunch of lesbians tossing out beads or candy. He is now the cool uncle to about 30 or so very nice lesbians. Abigail Marston: Head-to-toe bi colors very excited to be out very happy to be out. Makes sure everyone is drinking enough water and has on sunscreen. When the babysitter takes Jack though she really starts to party and has so much fun. She talks about how happy she is for weeks after and is already making plans to go back. John is happy that she's happy.

[maleyanderecafe]

Bad End Cinderella (Visual Novel)

Created by: Hamartia

Genre: Horror/Tragedy

Bad End Cinderella is pretty good for a more horror based yandere. It's about a king who just won't let go of his love and delusionally does everything he can to be with his love after his divorce to his queen. The king is kind of a jerk honestly and it's great. It can only end in tragedy and that makes the game better.

The story starts with Claude arranging a divorce with his wife, and is very annoyed and bitter about it. He thinks about his childhood friend, Ella, as he signs the divorce papers and the past they had together. It seemed that they were very close friends until Claude ended up shunning her at a party for basically being a poor commoner. Although he writes a letter afterwards apologizing, he never gets anything back. Claude's obsession gets stronger and stronger, as he realizes that he could now marry her after his divorce, convinced that the two are meant to be together. He ends up going to Esra, a powerful prophet about what their future will be together. While reluctant, Esra ends up seeing a tragic future for the two, begging that they stop before he does something irreversible. Claude upon hearing this doesn't seem to care at all, so as long as he can be together with Ella. He decides to look for allies and ends up running into a knight named Floren, who seems to hate Claude. The two have some history together as children, and he seems annoyed that Claude is just doing all of this and trying to take Ella. The end is him contemplating about what he should do with the

It's a rather short demo, but I am a sucker for watching a yandere's spiral into madness. Claude himself is a pretty terrible person, annoyed by everything and delusional believing that Ella will be his despite having not seen her in so long. He has no idea if she has another lover and the two essentially ended on bad terms despite the fact that Claude sent an apology letter. Despite the warning Esra has for him, he keeps going, and I assume as the story goes on, he will just keep ignoring the advice of others and just pushes through until he reaches the end, which at that point he won't have any way to escape and will just have to face the consequences of his actions. Like I said, the setup for tragedy is already there and so with dramatic irony we just watch him fall into the abyss, as it were.

The artwork is by Jambee (I'd assume) considering that it looks very much like Sunny Day Jack (style wise). As per usual, the artwork looks very good and professional (though I'm not sure what's with Jambee's thing of giving everyone that swoopy front hair because it makes everyone look like Jack-whatever) and it's really cool to see all of the CGs for it.

Overall, I think it's a good start for a demo. Considering it was made in 9 hours, that's pretty impressive for a game like this. Hopefully we get to see more development of this game in the future.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade

Having just finished my list of my favorite fictional detectives, I felt it was time to return to my absolute favorite of the bunch: Sherlock Holmes. In the past, I have done lists related to Holmes himself, as well as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, and his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. I recently revisited those three countdowns to see if I would change anything, and…at the moment, no, I think they’re still pretty solidly set. HOWEVER, I’ve never gone over any of the other major characters in the Sherlock Holmes universe since those three. I haven’t covered his other allies, or any other noteworthy antagonists he faced. So, I decided it was time to fix that problem. These lists WILL have descriptions, but they’ll be very brief, partially just because I don’t have a TON to say about most of the characters/portrayals involved. We’ll start off with a Top 10 devoted to Scotland Yard’s most competent detective, Inspector Lestrade.

In the books, Lestrade is one of Holmes’ closest compatriots. While the super sleuth frequently interacts with various Scotland Yard officers, Lestrade is the most recurring, and has the most rapport with Sherlock. Their relationship is an…interesting one, to say the least. On the one hand, the two do care about each other, and there is some level of mutual respect under their respective, prickly surfaces. However, the pair bicker constantly, and always seem to be trying to one-up each other. Holmes concedes that Lestrade is probably the best detective at the Yard, but with the caveat that he is “the best of a bad bunch.” Lestrade, meanwhile, often tries to downplay Holmes’ unique skills in favor of boosting his own ego, and is forever frustrated by Sherlock’s antics. At the same time, he recognizes Holmes is very helpful to himself and the force, and for all his faults, he always manages to help the Inspector catch the crooks in the end. Indeed, the main reason Lestrade usually fails is because he ironically tends to jump the gun: he’s someone who fails to look at the big picture, or else notice the smaller details, which is what Holmes is very good at. If he just took his time more, he could probably get to the bottom of things more quickly…but Holmes can do all that in an instant, so it’s a good thing he’s hanging around. Different interpretations throughout adaptations and reimaginings of the Holmes universe have reinterpreted Lestrade in a number of ways (and with no less than two different pronunciations of his name; “Leh-strawed” seems to be the most common, but a couple choose to say “Less-trade”). Some versions of him are more comical and bungling, while some are more serious but still not quite as brilliant as Holmes. Some make the character more bullheaded and easily angered, while others make him more supportive and friendly. Many of the best find some sort of balance between these disparate elements; while he may not get the kudos that Holmes and Watson get, Lestrade is an interesting character in his own right, with a lot of layers writers, actors, and directors can play with. Having said that, here are some I particularly enjoy. So STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! Here are My Top 10 Favorite Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade.

10. Frank Finlay, from A Study in Terror & Murder By Decree.

Finlay played Lestrade, by sheer coincidence, in two completely different films that have the same premise: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. He looks, sounds, and generally behaves exactly the same in both movies, too. It’s rather uncanny, really.

9. Eddie Marsan, from the Guy Ritchie Films.

In the first film, Lestrade is a major character, and the way they play with his relationship with Sherlock is surprising; it’s just a shame he’s little more than a cameo in the second film.

8. Jeffrey Jones, from Without a Clue.

Arguably the most bumbling version of the character on this list. However, since this movie is an outright comedy, I don’t mind this. (Please keep a certain elephant out of the room; I am only addressing portrayals of the character, not the people who played them.)

7. Peter Madden, from the 60s BBC Series.

In some ways, I think this might be the most book-accurate take on Lestrade, especially in terms of physical appearance. Madden only played the character in the first season of the series; in the second season, actor William Lucas took over. Weirdly enough, Madden did appear in the second season playing a completely different character in one episode. Not really sure why he was recast.

6. Dennis Hoey, from the Universal Films.

Alongside Jones, the most bungling version of Lestrade, frequently used as comic relief. In most of the films - not all, but most - he makes Nigel Bruce’s infamously doofy Watson look like a genius in comparison. He’s a lot of fun, though, and the chemistry between the three performers is great every time.

5. Rupert Graves, from Sherlock.

Arguably the most serious version of Lestrade on the list. I love the sort of normalcy he brings to the crazy world of Holmes and Watson, and the way he’s able to just put up with all the nonsense Sherlock shoves onto him, as well as find ways to rein Holmes in.

4. Archie Duncan, from the 50s TV Series.

This Lestrade is able to be extremely funny without actually being a moron; while he always needs Holmes to help him out, it’s mostly just because he’s impulsive and hotheaded, and therefore doesn’t always think things through or notice the details Sherlock notices. (Just like in the books.) Duncan, like Peter Madden, would weirdly play other characters in the show BESIDES Lestrade, including a villain in one story. Very talented performer who was always good to see in action!

3. The Version from Moriarty the Patriot.

This is probably the most friendly and encouraging version of Lestrade on the list, though he still gets righteously annoyed with both Holmes AND Moriarty in the series. I love his energy and the integrity the character has in the show; like Holmes, he’s willing to bend the rules to see justice done, and will never give up no matter what, which explains why they like each other above all else.

2. Akiko Morison, from Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.

This version is a female descendant of the original inspector, named Beth Lestrade. She actually was more of a standout to me in this show than Watson was! Once again, this version isn’t depicted is an idiot - she’s fiery, strong, and very good at her job, with great instincts. Her problem is that, once again, she doesn’t always pick up on the details or fully understand the situation, which leads to conflict and her need to have Holmes around.

1. Colin Jeavons, from the Granada Series.

The definitive take on Lestrade, just as Jeremy Brett was the definitive take on Holmes, in my opinion. Jeavons plays Lestrade as a slightly pompous and rather sarcastic police officer, but he also seems to be one of the versions of the character who has the best sort of relationship with Sherlock. I love the chemistry between the pair, and how they each seem to sort of admire each other, though neither will ever admit it. At the same time, that competitive rivalry between the two has rarely been showcased better. Altogether marvelous.

[shadystranger]

People need to accept that Dean never loved Castiel.

There's a reason for a good while i felt bad for cass and it's not bc i care about him profoundly but bc he was treated that bad

Like aside from the one liners about him being family here and there (which are unarguably few on their own) it never seems like it rings true in dean's actual actions. Alot of their relationship is purely convenient on dean's part and the 2nd it stops the fact dean's ready to exclude cass from this playhouse psuedo-family he put him in. 'Why does that something wrong always seem to be you?' 'You're dead to me', and he kicks him out of the bunker; He's family, but no typical extreme procedure is done to bring him back when he dies. Salted and burned right away with what's dead is dead it's over which we have seen dean not really uphold with certain few.

If Michael meant anything and take this with a grain of salt he tells cass about dean's "honest thoughts" and yes this was intentional to break their spirits but he didn't make it up when he said dean feels indebted to him (in the negative way) but thinks he's a screw up. Like this is telling to some extent (not entirely bc yk manipulation) but when you recall things from the beginning and till then it lines up here and there. The i need you speech was an insincere plea to get cass to not kill him, dean later tells sam he doesn't care if cass drops dead. And the countable other times is dean saying cass is family in retrospect to jack, its like he acknowledges cass only when he's othering jack but on a good day he's othering both of them normal.

Even the apology in s15 which sounded out of nowhere and shoehorned to the point its ill-fitting narrative-wise but let's take it, this one was also told at a time dean needed sth from cass desperately. Im not calling it insincere altogether but ehh appeal to authority and whatnot calls for question.

Like this hit cass for a reason bc it was true

dean screaming he'll trade everyone for chuck while cass is in the background but he puts the line at sam alone. dean happily eating pie and living a domestic life after cass's death, the only one who brings him up is sam (and later bobby) and dean looks like he has better things to focus on both times.

Im not saying dean hates cass bc it's factually false but i dont personally think he loves him all that either. He loves the convenience maybe the things cass symbolizes (family/friends/originally powerful allies) but he doesn't pour his all or even half the way he did with benny which just felt more genuine and raw from the get-go.

[sureokyeahwhatever]

i finished vampire the masquerade bloodlines after chipping away at it for a couple weeks after work. Those first 2/3rds of the game are a genuine masterpiece, but man, that last third gets really, really weird and racist.

The thing is, is that I actually have very little to say about that first 2/3rds. It's just good. The design is great, it's well balanced, it's open ended, it has great characters. It's wonderful. This part of the game feels like a real, worthy successor to Deux Ex. There's just nothing more to say, I think.

...

And that's why I almost have a hard time believing it's written by the same people as the last bit. The whole game up to that point (up to just before chinatown) is pretty darn smartly written with some relatively cogent social commentary. The quality of the missions also takes a really, really steep dive in that section too (lots of run and gun hallways, lots of extremely buggy areas, shitty boss fights, etc. But that's honestly understandable because balancing the endgame of an ImSim is practically impossible). Idk, it feels like a totally different game. I could almost just forgive all of that though, if it weren't for the ungodly and seemingly genuine racism with regards to the east Asian vampires.

Like. Ok. If we're being VERY charitable and we just flatly forgive all of the misguided-though-not-malintentioned 2000s era attempts at humor-via-stereotype (dialogue options referencing "tentacles" directed at a young japanese woman; old chinese guys who are always loud and drunk; jingoistic WWII-surviving japanese soldier; Chinese businessman speaking in riddles and mentioning the I-Ching; so on and so on) the whole handling of the "chinese vampire" storyline is psychotically racist.

You first hear of these guys -- the Kuei-Jin, which I learn from the wiki is a portmanteau of the Mandarin word for ghost and a the Japanese word for person, which... ok. -- as being basically like animals. They slaughter who ever they see, lots of people in the bourgeois faction see them as a nuisance, the people in the anarchist faction see them as "invaders from the east," which already had me like "Jesus fucking Christ, maybe these anarchist guys aren't cool after all". But anyway, you go to Chinatown to talk to them and -- by my estimation -- they were basically the same as everyone else. They're protective of their territory, they're secretive, they're paranoid of outsiders... I mean, yeah, they're fucking vampires and apparently all the other vampires see them as sub-human, so yeah, I'd be paranoid and secretive around me too.

The thing is, is that you have this anarchist friend who you tell everything to -- Jack -- and I wanted to go tell him "hey, I don't think these guys are so bad. Maybe we misjudged them" or something like that. And there was a dialogue option along the lines of that, but when I said it, his response was something to the effect of "don't let them sweet talk you with their 'spiritual path' bullshit. That stuff ain't for /us/". Which, I heard and again, said "ah! Interesting writing decision! We're learning that Jack ALSO has flaws like everyone else! he's not just some perfectly cool, levelheaded badass -- he has unjustified prejudices just like everyone else!" So I continued the story under the assumption that, yes, while the surface level of the whole "Chinese vampire" thing was being handled in a really immature, racist way, and in-universe all the other factions seemed to see them as exactly that -- racist stereotypes of conniving, backstabbing Chinese mafia goons -- this was all setting up an interesting "let's all learn to put our cultural differences aside and defeat those rich assholes who want to rule LA"-style ending. This would not be the case.

There was a moment towards the end that I THOUGHT confirmed my suspicion. You are told by the leader of the bourgeois faction to convince the anarchist faction to ally with them so they can, together, take down the Kuei-Jin. Around this time you also are intercepted by the leader of the Kuei-Jin who straight up warns you "hey, that bourgeois guy set me up. He's about to set you up too. Be careful. I hope we can be friends in the future." So I get this information and go straight to the anarchist faction with the intention to say "Ok, bourgeois guys are obviously doing a power play. Now's the time to join with the Kuei-Jin and take them out. We'll settle our petty differences later." (Side note, yes, I understand they were recently at war, but war happens in these situations. The best way to prevent another war is actively making peace. Not by just constantly threatening to go BACK to war). But no such option was available. Instead, all the options were different variations on "Let's join with the bourgeois faction and kill those Chinese guys!" What? But I don't want to kill those guys! And I don't really trust either of these other factions either because the anarchists are racists and the bourgeois guys are, well, bourgeois guys.

So eventually the "ending-tron 3000" comes up in the form of a conversation with a taxi driver which, as far as ending-trons go, is pretty cute. If you decide to ally with the Kuei-Jin two things happen: one, everyone hates you because it's completely impossible to convince anyone that they are anything other than parasites, and two, they kill you in a cutscene and you die in the ocean, which, all things considered, is probably the worst possible way this whole story line could have been handled. There was an opportunity here to have an exceptionally interesting moment where you bring people together to fight in solidarity against those who seek to concentrate their power over the city and all it's inhabitants. There could have been an ending where you work together with the Kuei-Jin and the anarchists to get rid of the bourgeois faction, render the "anarchist" faction system redundant, and allow LA vampires to establish their own federated society where people can live where and how they please without the iron fist of some Ivory tower pretty boys telling everyone how to live their lives. You could establish a system of vampire democracy across LA, with all the benefits and negatives that it brings. Would LA then be crushed under the heel of the bourgeois faction coming in from other cities? Or would it be able to stand the test of time and serve as an example for other cities to rise up and do the same? There's some interesting stuff here, both politically and for individual characters as perhaps you have to work extra hard to get Jack and the rest of the anarchists to believe that the Kuei-Jin are, despite superficial differences, just vampires like they are and that they all share common interests.

Instead, the game goes hard in the other direction. It calls you an idiot for trusting those eastern invaders and basically says "you should have listened to everyone else when they were mumbling under their breath about how you can't trust those Kuei-Jin as far as you can throw them". i.e., you were an idiot for not being racist enough. Like, I can understand the general theme of "trust no one", since it permeates through the whole game, but to literally introduce a faction of "conniving foreigners" who everyone hates, and then to have that hate be perfectly justified just feels boring, hateful, and honestly like a waste of a third of what was otherwise a great, great game.

Anyway. The game is good. Great, even! It's really hard to make an ImSim, so even though the last third has some rough (ROUGH) design flaws and bugs, I'm happy to look past that. However, it's really easy to not just put Chinese people in your game and make them evil stereotypes that everyone rightfully hates, so that's harder to look past.

I would say the ideal way to experience the game is to marathon the first chapter up to downtown, play less and less frequently from downtown up until the end of hollywood or so, and gradually lose interest around the time that you're asked to go to Chinatown. I think if you did that, you'd end up remembering the game very fondly.

[azgfggf]

Spoilers for One Piece post Marineford/Egghead

Hot take, but Monkey D Dragon is a little bitch.

Bro is the ~*Most dangerous criminal in the world*~ but does literally nothing????? Like what does he do??? He abandoned HIS OWN SON because “The child is a weakness” or some shit. M8 it’s been proven time and time again that fighting for something (especially family) MAKES A BETTER CREW

•Whitebeard

•Strawhats

•LITERAL PIRATE KING

“Oh but he just doesn’t have the time to raise a child!”

Okay dragon

Okay

WHAT IS THIS

WHAT IS IT DRAGON

He says he wants to protect Luffy, but then sends him to live with Garp. Hoe that is NOT protection. “Oh he saved them from Smoker and Buggy” you mean the one Marine that actually cares about justice and the pirate they literally already defeated? So you can save him from Smoker but not your Croco ex-wife???? Bitch the lighting saved Luffy, not you.

SPEAKING OF WHICH *Pretend I smack a whiteboard right here*

MARINEFORD

WHERE WERE YOU

I literally looked it up and all I got was Reddit posts like nobody knows. So now I gotta ask, what is more important than Marineford?? Like especially to dragon.

•Iva is there (Fresh out of Impel Down)

•Kuma is there

•Luffy is there

•Whitebeard is there

•Multiple crews are all united to fight the government and broadcasted worldwide (SOUNDS GOOD FOR A REBELLION HMMM???)

•SON OF PIRATE KING

OH YEAH AND ALSO

•EVERY

•SINGLE

•ADMIRAL

DRAGON THIS WAS YOUR ONE CHANCE TO DO AS MUCH DAMAGE PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO THE WORLD GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE OF NUKING MARIEJOA. WHERE WERE YOU????

SPEAKING OF DRAGON NOT DOING SHIT.

WHO IS THIS DRAGON. TELL ME

DO YOU REMEMBER HER YOU SWINE????

He really said “Ooooooohh nah we can’t saveeee her because uhhhh she can handle it or whatever”

YOU

DON’T

KNOW

THAT

Kuma, along with everybody else in this entire fucking organization ACTUALLY DOES.

Dragon is the only child of a Marine Vice Admiral, and compared to literally everyone else in the OP world, is extremely privileged. Bro was educated, always fed, and his father had a well respected and stable job. He doesn’t know jack shit about what Celestial Dragons do on the inside. Unless, of course, he *did* know how bad they were from Garp or smth (MEANING HE REFUSED TO SAVE HER KNOWING WHAT THEY’D DO) or unless he had spies in Mariejoa (IN WHICH CASE WHY DID HE NOT SAVE HER??) OR MAYBE HE COULD USE THE ONE PERSON WHO

• CAN TELEPORT ANYWHERE

• KNOWS THE LAYOUT OF MARIEJOA’S SLAVE SYSTEM

• WANTS TO SAVE HER DESPERATELY

MAN IS TAKING LEAPS AND BOUNDS TO ABANDON THIS WOMAN FOR WHAT PURPOSE? ONE OF HIS FRIEND AND ALLIES (Kuma) HAS LOST SOMEBODY VERY IMPORTANT. I’ve seen people make connections with Luffy and Vivi but that’s a whole different thing bcz Luffy both A) wants to save her and B) knows she’s not with celestial dragons.

Now I hate him, post Kuma backstory I hate him more for what he did to my girl. But I also know that a lot of this stuff is still undetermined. Oda has a knack for making me love character within a very small amount of chapters. I’m open to liking this guy, but everything he’s done so far is annoying me to hell. If Iva trusts him, I trust him for now, but DAYM all this guy does is stare East at the kid he abandoned and his maybe dead probably trans ex-wife.

[tw1nkee28]

Hello sorry for asking another question again I like your characters a lot and I was wondering what’s Jack’s and Dawn’s opinion on Pixel, I just want to make sure I make them act the right way and make sure Dawn isn’t scared of my little burnt boi, or Jack dislikes him

Okokay !! Lemmeee think about this HGSHD

While I can think of characters separately, every time someone asks me this question my brain goes blank since I haven't really done any roleplays to show how they interact or think about each other so I'll just have to wing it JHDHDH

Jackrabbit:

He probably thinks fondly of Pixel, like many others, but I do think it'd be a bit of that fond irritation you get for someone that you care about but they're also sort of a nuisance (like my brother, he's a pain in my ass but I love him)

I say this because of how Jack probably has to drag him around to get things done like force feeding him his meds, giving him that intervention we talked about yesterday HSGHD, or just overall medical attention and checkups.

He would risk his life for that man. 1, because he's a shadow and one of his own; and 2, because he sees him as a good friend and someone that he doesn't want to chance losing. He probably wouldn't outright show how much he cares, only really acting fondly annoyed by him (like when someone tells a joke so bad that you just sorta frown at them while you try not to laugh)

Most of his responses consist of "mhm?" "Mh." "That's great" etc, like a parent whose child keeps showing them shit and they're trying to be supportive but they can't really say much...

TLDR: he cares deeply about him and acts annoyed by him despite feeling very fond of him and his actions. He tries his hardest to take care of him even when Pixel tries to avoid it (ex. Taking meds)

—------------------------------------------------------—

Dawn:

(hdhhdh this is the one I gotta think hard about)

Okokay, since we haven't really talked too much about their interactions, I don't really have toooo much to say for Dawn's thoughts.

I know that he would see Pixel as a good teammate and trustworthy ally, maybe a bit intriguing because of how he's dressed. (mask, hood, glasses, etc.) He might be a bit weary or distrustful of him at first mainly because of the way he covers up completely, essentially hiding his identity from him (he gets a little paranoid, no actual ill feelings towards him)

If they got to know each other a bit better in the future, then he'd probably lose that distrust. But for the time being, he views him as just another shadow, another person to keep safe but also not get too close to. He might either try to distance himself from Pixel because he sees a bit of himself in 'em and he doesn't wanna think about that, OR try to stay a bit closer to Pixel because of that same reason, trying to give him the support system he wished he had.

He would respect him and what he does as a soldier, would probably trust his judgement on stuff pretty easily.

—------------------------------------------------------—

That's pretty much all I can think of for now

If you wanted to know something specific that I didn't list in here, feel free to dm me or send an ask at any time ! I promise I don't bite hshdh 😭

I do hope this answered at least some of your questions, thank you for the ask 🫶

[themultifandomgal]

Adam Ruzek- Single Dad Pt2

"So she actually threw up on you?"

"Yep it was awful. Like I was so embarrassed" Adam chuckles "but what about you. Any bad dates?" Adam and I are sat eating lunch in a really cute café

"Ughh to many to count. There was this one guy I started seeing and we were meant to be going on a date, he had picked me up but on the way to the restaurant I had a phone call to go back home as my mom had been called into work in an emergency. He really kicked off and refused to see me again. Actually refused to take me home. I had to call a taxi"

"What a jerk"

"Tell me about it"

"So what does you mom do then for work?"

"Oh she's a brain surgeon at Chicago Med. Sometimes she will get called in and I have to look after Jack"

"What about your dad? Where's he?"

"He and my mom split up when I was 10. Then she met Jacks dad who's actually in the army so we don't see him all that much"

"Oh I'm sorry"

"No it's ok. I get on with both my dad and Jacks. So does mom, she thought it would be best for us all if everyone got on"

"That's good. I wish I got on with Ally's mum, you know for her sake. I'm lucky I have some good friends"

"I'm sorry that her mom isn't involved, but it's her loss right? And I think it's sweet how your friends love her as if she was their biological family" my phone dings "sorry"

"No problem" I check my phone to see mom has been called in to do a surgery

"I'm so sorry, but I've got to go look after Jack"

"Hey no it's fine don't worry about it"

"I really am sorry" I stand up

"Hey why don't you bring him to mine? we can take them to the park"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes of course" Adam texts me his address

"Ok I'll see you in a bit then"

"But why?"

"Because were going to go to the park with Ally and Adam" I take Jacks coat of the hanger and help him put it on

"But why?"

"Jack please just do as I say"

"Where's mommy gone?"

"She's got to make people better" I finally get Jack out the house and into his car seat

"How long is the drive?"

"Not long" I type in Adams address into maps and start the car while Encanto soundtrack plays, Jacks current obsession

"We don't talk about Bruno" Jack yells making me laugh "no no no"

After a few minutes and a lot of singing we arrive at Adams

"Ok now you have to be a good boy for me ok?"

"Ok YN" I lift him out of his car seat then lock the car. We walk up to the door

"Can I press the bell?" Jack asks pointing to the door bell. I lift him up and he presses the bell. A few seconds later Adam opens up the door

"Hey bud you ready for a play date?" Adam asks Jack

"Yeah. Guess what" before Adam can even breath Jack is already telling him that we listened to the Encanto songs

"You did did you?" Adam looks at me

"Yup. We don't talk about Bruno on repeat. All the way here"

"Well Encanto is Ally's favourite film so shall we put it on?"

"Can we?" Jack asks me

"Yes of course"

"Yay" we walk in and Adam takes us to the living room. Ally is playing with a doll

"Hi Ally how are you?" I ask

"Good" she says shyly with her hair half in a bobble and half out

"I'm guessing your daddy did your hair?" I ask and she nods

"Can you do hair?" She asks me 

"Come here" I say as Adam puts on Disney+ and finds Encanto for the kids. I do a French plait for her

"YN and I will make you some snacks" Adam and I walk into the kitchen

"Sorry this isn't the date we planned" I sigh as Adam passes me a bowl and some crisps

"It's ok. We can always have another date" he shrugs

"So it's not been a complete disaster then?" I ask raising my eyebrows

"Definitely not" we take the snacks over to the kids while they are mesmerised by the TV. Adam and I go back into the kitchen to talk

"How often does Jack get to see his dad?" he asks making a drink

"Maybe every 4 months for a week? This is probably the longest he's been away, it's been about 6 months since he was home"

"Wow. How does your mother cope?"

"She works, a lot. That's why I help out, take Jack out and do things with him"

"Your good with him. Most siblings wouldn't do what you do"

"You think?" I raise my eyebrows.

For the rest of the afternoon Adam and I chat, then take Jack and Ally to the park and we also play games with them before it's time for Jack and I to leave. Jack goes to say bye to Ally while I say bye to Adam.

[villaindimitri]

"it's only fair, I'm the one who sent the building on fire!"

-Dimitri's famous line

∅∅∅∅∅

About Dimitri:

Chimera

24 years old

He/him it/its

Former local hero

Betrayed, hurt and manipulated

Autistic

Pansexual

It has axes for weapons

His health is not very good

He trusts nobody except his close ones

Has a very powerful dark magic

Sometimes it's serious, cold and aggressive

It has a soft side that only his friends can see

∅∅∅∅∅

Likes: fire, lighting, his friends he trusts and cares, stormy nights, his personal space and its brother

Dislikes: the heroes, his heroic title, long halls with many doors, people hurting his close people, calling it freak and Billie

∅∅∅∅∅

Abilities: fire balls, fire fists, fire tornado, lighting balls, lighting blast and electric shock

∅∅∅∅∅

Allies: Z (love interest), Lantana, Amanda, Hayes, Basile (sometimes), Barnaby (up and down), Fantoccio (brother), Elaine Corso (sometimes), Kuma and Ashley

Enemies: Billie, Aristotle (not so much), Jack, the heroes, the Terrorist, Megs, and Arthur...

∅∅∅∅∅

Quotes:

"I love you, Z... I would say no homo but you know me-"

"I don't care for anything stupid. I want to take my revenge on those who ruined my life..."

"You think that you're a good person!? You turned everyone against me just like your father did!!"

"Thanks to you I'm here."

"This is your fault..."

"You guys truly helped me when I was in dangerous situations and I was in really bad mental breakdown... I love you all..."

∅∅∅∅∅

[th3b4dk1dzz]

Just Dance Story Mode 2025 predictions

Song 1- (Night Swan) Queen of the Kings by Alessandra Mele

I picked this song because this song matches her bravado and self-glorifing ideals. She refuses to see herself as a perpetrator, instead seeing herself as a self-liberated queen who deserves everything she has achieved.

In the background, we see the corrupted Just Dancers doing her bidding, rounding up captured coaches, causing destruction and devastation (sort of like evil Canned Heat)

Song 2- (Jack Rose) Grenade by Bruno Mars

So this song takes place as Jack is about to embark on his mission to save his friends. He's so done with his mother at this point and he's finally letting this anger and defiance

During the bridge, Jack connects to the flow in a new way that is able to cut through his mother's dark flow. Not enough to truly break Night Swan's control over the Just Dancers but is essentially the helping hand or first step to breaking control themselves.

Song 3- (Sara) Dog Days are Over by Florence + The Machine

I think it's about time Sara had her own character centric dance. Especially since we didn't get to see her as herself much in story mode this year.

Over the course of the routine, she is able to remember the joy of dancing alongside her friends and being in the Danceverses, thus breaking free of the connection to Night Swan as she no longer dances for admiration like her.

Song 4- (Mihaly) Tilted by Christine and the Queens

Tilted is a song about a rejection of the concept of perfection and to embrace being 'good enough'. We know perfection is something we've seen them struggle with, even leading to an infatuation with Night Swan at one point so it'd be interesting to see them let go of the constant struggle and free themself of an unachievable goal.

Perhaps we see a flashback to the first time they met Master Panda or got in tune with the flow. This memory inspiring their change back.

Also, Christine and the Queens is a trans, gender non-conforming artist, which I think would be really imactful for the first canonically Nonbinary character in the franchise to dance to.

(I also want an alternative routine inspired by the official choreo)

Song 5- (Brezziana) Fighter by Christina Aguilara

In JD2024, Brezziana has two (2) songs about overcoming heartbreak and becoming stronger because of it. This might be a glimpse into a potential backstory for her where she had her heartbroken and had to rebuild it from scratch.

Perhaps it's this memory that inspires her to keep fighting and be the light and strength for others she can be.

Song 6- (Wanderlust) King by Years and Years

I think this song could serve as a double meaning, both Wanderlust wanting to regain control of his body in the present to stop Night Swan but also wanting control of his own destiny in being the chosen one which by the end of the dance he is ready to fight for both.

I left Wanderlust till last because in the past, he has been the one to rally the team, so I wanted an opportunity for the team to come to his aid. I just think it'd be a narratively satisfying moment.

Song 7- (Final Battle) Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

The song has these big guitar riffs that would be good for some epic duet moments, then having the bass and drum beats as tension building and story moments

What I'm going back and forth on is how to appropriately end the story mode so I have decided to leave it up to a poll.

A) The Just Dancers are fully victorious. Night Swan is defeated thus ending the story as a trilogy

B) Night Swan is defeated. However, her defeat is overshadowed by a new, more powerful main bad guy, thus continuing the story

C) Night Swan is helped by an ally to escape again before she can be overpowered. Maybe she gets an important maguffin along the way.

D) Night Swan is about to win but The Just Dancers retreat and escape, maybe unintentionally into the clutches of a more powerful enemy.

[bots-and-cons]

The tfp bots meeting a human that has the personality of Lila Rossi from Miraculousl ladybug and is the ally of the cons

So a total bitch. I've watched most of Miraculous Ladybug, and I freaking hate Lila as a character. I've had experiences with so many people like that irl, and none of them were good. I basically wrote a very bitchy, manipulative reader. I only did some of the bots, since I didn’t feel like doing all of them. Also this is set a bit before the cons destroyed the base and all that jazz. Also kinda of a ramble and might not make sense

•You go to the same school in Jasper as the trouble trio, so they know you

•You’ve got a certain reputation at the school, and even though not everyone sees through your “innocent act” a lot of people do, including Miko, Raf and Jack

•Well mostly Miko and Raf, because Jack thinks you’re his friend and is oblivious to your little act

•Honestly, Arcee is not really surprised that someone like you would get along with the cons

•From what she’s seen and what she’s heard, you are quite a manipulative person

•The bots thought they were saving you from the cons, when they saw you sitting on Knockout’s front seat, but you made it very clear that you did not want anything to do with “you idiotic autobots” as you said

•Bee doesn’t really think you’re all that bad when he first hears about you, you’re just a teenager, how bad could you possibly be?

•But when you’re actually brought to the base, (dumb decision btw, you snitched about it to the cons right after the bots dropped you off in town) you’re quite an unpleasant person

•You’re pretty much just laughing at the bots about how pathetic they are, and how they’re never going to beat the decepticons

•Ratchet basically has smoke coming out of his audials, because who in the name of Primus thought it was a good idea to bring you to the base

•This is going to cause so much trouble and he would really rather not deal with it

•Smokescreen gets a bad vibe from you and in general can not stand you and does not want to deal with you

•None of them have had to deal with you for long, but even that little bit was enough

•You’ve of course got a lot to report to the cons and you’re happy to do it

•The bots don’t really talk shit, especially about some random, unpleasant teen, but damn you are unlikable

[providing-leverage]

The A-Team

(asexaul and aromantic Ted Lasso fic recs)

Let's be honest, half the reason for this post is the title. But also to shine some light on a couple beautiful fics I've found with aro and ace characters in this fandom. The purple heart indicates ace, green indicates aro content.

A is for Ally by starryeyedknight 3.8k💜

When Richard suggests a novel way for the Richmond boys to show their allyship, Colin ends up coming out to the team...just not in the way they were expecting.

In which the team gets distracted (multiple times), Isaac is overprotective, Jamie suspects Colin might actually be a Jedi knight, and Bumbercatch reveals way more about his sexual preferences than anyone was expecting. (And poor Will is inadvertently scarred for life.)

A cute little fic that I found perusing the asexual tag. I really enjoyed this au, and Colin's coming out/the guy's reactions to him as well as him not having it all figured out himself.

Love Stuck by @altschmerzes 6k 💚

When Keeley opens the door, Jamie bypasses any kind of perhaps typically-expected greeting. While this isn’t exactly unusual for him, what he says is.

“I’ve got great news,” he tells her, smiling like he really does have great news, which helps to somewhat offset the sense of foreboding she’d been starting to feel. “I am not in love with you. Can I come in?"

OR: Jamie Tartt is aromantic. This changes everything. This also changes nothing. A study in identity, defining your own relationships, and different kinds of love.

I am completely in love with this fic. Jamie having a bi panic before he realizes actually, neither is good/ref. It's very true to my own experiences and made me relate to him so much.

Such a Skeptic: or, Keeley Jones is Bad at Communication by ellarree 800💚

Keeley Jones is definitely not bitter about Shandy. Barbara is definitely interested in double dates and the institution of romance as a whole. Jamie Tartt definitely knows why he’s here. And Jack Danvers? Well, she knows that none of those three statements are true.

A short sequel to the above fic, with aromantic bonding and Barbara who quite honestly deserves so much more screen time in cannon. It has it's own sequel which you can find here.

A Simple Matter of (Mis)Communication by starryeyedknight 3k💜

For the past few weeks Moe Bumbercatch and Jan Maas have been spending an awful lot of time together, and everyone knows what that means. Everyone, apparently, except for Moe Bumbercatch himself...

Apparently I just need to binge read this author's whole collection of works because I didn't realize they also write A is for Ally until making this. Asexual Jan Mass which again I found myself relating to a lot. Technically part of a series and his asexuality was mentioned in the first work, but it's central to the plot of this one. It's also super cute.

Self rec: it's a rather touching notion by providing_leverage 5.7k 💜💚

“I won’t beat around the bush. We think you might be bisexual. You familiar with it?” A friendly team game of spin the bottle ends in a few revelations, some quicker than others. (AKA Moe Bumbercatch going through the unofficial aroace right of passage: adding no real attraction to men with no real attraction to women and coming up with bisexual, with a little help from his friends)

I really enjoyed writing this, even if the last 2k was just a fight against myself. It went through so many different versions and ended longer than I meant for it to be. I really neat part of the Ted Lasso fandom is how platonic so much of the content is.

If you've got any aspec recommendations of your own, please drop them here or tag me. Self recs are absolutely invited. Happy pride!