#Let me know if somebody's done this before and I'll like... link their post here or something

[lgorstheme]

Portal 2 as @screenshotsofdespair because the first image fit so well that I couldn't pass up this opportunity

[honoura]

Shaaloani: The Land of Enchantment Part Two

Hello again! First of all thank you so much for your responses to these posts -- I've really enjoyed reading your reblogs. I'm glad folks are enjoying this!

As I mentioned in the first post -- here is the second half! It's covers the plants and animals I thought worth special distinction. By that I mean animals that communicate how much research was done regarding this zone. So no rroneek, no uxtena. It's pretty clear they are both meant to be buffalo and rattlesnakes.

And if you're somebody who hadn't caught that, um... surprise! That's what they're based on.

If you're somehow getting this post without reading or seeing Part One first, here is a link to Part One. I'd recommend giving it a read first.

With that taken care of, let's pick up where we left off before!

Shaaloani Flora

Aside from the cacti, there are a lot of plants I recognize as native to the regions discussed in Part One! First is this scrubby, short and wide tree. It took a few screenshots and a lot of scrutiny. I was torn for a bit thinking it was a creosote bush, but upon zooming in close I'm of the mind it's a redberry juniper tree instead!

The leaves are long and thing, and the shape gives to mind of juniper needles more. Juniper 'leaves' kind of scale over each other and between texture resolution and my horrible eye sight I can't tell if this does the same. Still! There's a photo below my two screenshots for further emphasis:

These are also the trees turned red near the ceruleum fields -- junipers tend to do that when they are dying. They are also incredibly hardy so typically when you've managed to kill one it's likely not good.

I will say when I was out here I noticed the botanist gathering log has mesquite beans on it -- and you harvest them from these trees! Which is too silly for me; so here's a link to the the wiki about honey mesquite, and a photo of the beans on a tree.

It's probably a reach to try and ID this grass in the Yawtanane Grasslands, but given that it caught my eye I felt inclined to make a pitch. For context child me thought a fun and engaging after school club project was to learn how to identify grass and other plants native to Texas. So when I looked at it I wanted to take a guess based on other regional clues:

To me I think it could be cane bluestem, a grass that's drought tolerant and popular for grazing animals. And its seeds are dispersed from these little fluffy heads like this.

I will say as a caveat that a lot of grass in this area can be dispersed by wind. So it might not be cane bluestem -- hell it's a stretch to even try this. But I like to think they also considered the grass.

The bush above I also hmmed and hrmmed about for a bit before positing if it was meant to be black persimmon. It's commonly called Texas persimmon or Mexican persimmon -- and it's found in Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Neuvo León. They generally just look like big shrubs instead of trees.

I mentioned this in part one, but I'll go ahead and reiterate here a few things:

One is I think Lake Taori's about the only place that reads as specifically Texas

Two is it's not a bayou. That's an East Texas ecosystem and way too wet for Shaaloani

Three is there are cypress trees west of San Antonio growing along the Frio river, and doing quite well! Garner State Park has quite a few of them

I stand by this because these trees are show to be reproducing by making 'knees' -- offshoots from their root system. Think of it like Pando.

I also feel cypress is correct; the trunks are wider at the base than higher up, and the leaves are the right shape. I also appreciate there's Spanish moss hanging from them, which is also pretty common.

The last plant I want to cover is this flowering bush -- I'm going to admit this one was a struggle because I don't know of a lot of bushes with large white flowers like this. I've seen flowers of this shape, but most tend to be ground cover plants that grow very low to the soil.

What I think it might be, which would feel appropriate, is a take on the datura. They can get a bit higher off the ground than most wildflowers. And they were used by several native tribes for cultural practices.

The flowers are bigger in real life than depicted here -- so this is a reach! If someone has a better suggestion I'm open to it.

Shaaloani Fauna

When Fate farming out here, I've seen several players comment like 'huh, there sure are a lot of dinosaurs on this map'. And you're right! Because a lot of this region is home to some incredibly rich fossil formations.

Big Bend National Park contains part of the Javelina Formation -- home to large creatures such as the Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur that boasted a 39 foot wingspan. You can read about fossils found in Big Bend here. The Javelina Formation has its own wiki article that details some of the specimens found within it, including the Bravoceratops and the Torosaurus. The Ojo Alamo Formation in New Mexico is home to the Ojoceratops. Just south of these is the Aguja Formation in the Mexican states of Coahuila and Chihuahua. These formations are home to fossils of all three types of scalekin above -- as well as alligators, who are also on this map!

Other Formations in the Southwest home to great fossil finds are:

Kayenta Formation (Colorado & Utah)

Tepetate Formation (Mexico)

Black Peaks Formation (Texas)

There's even a fun sightseeing lore blurb which acknowledges this!

I think this is a fun addition to the zone that strengthens the real world inspiration sources and have fun with world building -- a lot of the formations near the Permian Basin were along the shore or under the waves of the Permian Sea!

And that's all I have! Thank you all for indulging me, and by all means take any and all of this to do with what you will in roleplay. Have fun with it!

[babacontainsmultitudes]

In Defense of the Other Teens

Hello besties :)

SO how about that last episode huh? I've certainly seen a lot of interesting takes and cool art and all that come from it!

And I'm... Here to offer my two cents.

Alright y'all, a few things before we actually get into the meat of it. First, this is a long post. Like, even by my standards this post is pretty fucking long. I hope that I'll be able to keep you entertained throughout at the very least, but maybe grab a cup of tea or coffee or the like before venturing under the cut.

Second, my stance on things will become pretty clear I think fairly early on, if you haven't already put two and two together from the title of this post. That said, there are some fairy bold claims I'm gonna make here, and the fact of the matter is some of them may very well be disproven as soon as today's Teen Talk drops. But I wanted to get this out beforehand, partially as a show of faith in a certain someone, and partially cause honestly I think it's good to practice giving oneself room to be wrong about things. That said, there are still many other points that I think remain important regardless of what we find out next episode (or in teen talk), and I hope you'll find those interesting as well.

Next, honestly, the first few chunks of this little essay really start out as more of a rant/vent than a tight analysis, and I kinda start things in a weird spot if I'm being frank with you, so maybe just try to bear with me for the first few parts, ok? They're still important for the bigger picture I'm trying to paint.

Finally, if I come off as a little extra salty and sassy in this one, I am, but I *promise* it's all in good fun. :)

Alright, so let me tell you my thoughts about Lincoln.

You know what I think? What I honestly, genuinely think? Linc is the most selfless of the teens by a long shot. Like, there's literally no competition. Enough "all he wants to do is help other people and all they ever do is betray him" with respect to Mr. TalkedGrantIntoAPanicAttackThenLeft and more appreciation and recognition for Lincoln Li SayHiToYourDadForMe Wilson, I'm begging you. I could sit here and start listing examples of Linc's selflessness to you for a good long while, but really no set of examples could better illustrate what differentiates Linc from the rest of the teens than this exchange:

**

Scary: "Chosen one…""

Jodie: "Bat’tholemew, we don't use those words." 

Scary: "Somebody they wouldn't expect."

Taylor: "It's me. It's got to be someone that they don't expect."

Scary: "Yeah." 

Taylor: "Yeah." 

Scary: "It's got to be somebody who's really earned—"

Taylor: "Somebody who’s really earned—" 

Scary: "—the respect."

Taylor: "—the right to... And all the knowledge of all the animes together…"

Scary: "Somebody with more knowledge than anybody else."

Taylor: "Someone with— who knows what to do. S… "

Scary: "Somebody who knows what to do to step up."

Taylor: "Somebody who can step up and be the chosen one."

Scary: "And be the chosen one."

Link: "Hey…"

Normal: "Guys, I think… I might be the chosen one…"

**

Yes, funnily enough, it's Linc's absence here that says a lot about him rather than his presence.

What's more, I frankly just don't think it's fair that Linc can do *so much* for the people around him but the *one time* he decides to do something that (seemingly) goes against Normal's plan, it's depicted as some ultimate act of betrayal or Linc "giving up". I feel like we significantly understate how much the other teens *have* done for the sake of Normal's plan (seriously, are we actually gonna ignore Linc stabbing his leg on a candy cane- TWICE??), and how much they've lost in doing so. If every time they fuck something up undoes everything they've sacrificed or done right, well, that's quite the negativity bias!

So why don't we talk about Linc's decision, actually. Did we just witness Lincoln finally snap? Has he given up on Normal's plan to help the doodler? Has he given up on using empathy? Did Lincoln Li Wilson choose the easy option? I would say no! No to all of those! And I think especially upon a relisten of the final moments in the last episode, Linc's train of thought when he breaks the pic is actually quite clear. And yes, this is about Linc showing empathy towards Scary, but I want to talk about the actual implications of that a bit further as well. Let's start by looking at the final bits of dialogue leading up to the breaking of anchor:

**

Linc: "Scary, what are you even doing?"

Scary: "You gotta destroy it"

Linc: "We can't- you just heard the Doodler's gonna make the world worse it's gonna kill we just gotta find something, why do you have to destroy it-"

Scary: "You don't know that!"

Linc: "I mean you don't know it's not that way we can find another way to destroy it"

Scary: "No, Willy said that it's easier to control if we destroy the anchors"

[ANTHONY EXPLAINS THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT WILLY WOULD HAVE TOLD SCARY]

Linc: "Well we're not gonna do it that way okay, come on like, the easy way is-"

Scary: "Who died and made you the leader?"

Linc: "The easy way is usually the bad way right? Sometimes the better thing is harder."

Scary: "This is easier what you're just gonna tell the pic 'Oh I love you I'm so nice to you' and it's just gonna give you all its secrets that's not how life works."

[LINK TRIES SAYING I LOVE YOU TO THE PIC AND NORM EXPLAINS THAT HE ALREADY TRIED THAT]

Linc: "Okay well like you're right it's gonna be hard but- I know it's not a person but I don't want more people to die we've already killed enough people like can you just do one thing with us and just try to find a way to make this-"

Scary: "The Doodler is gonna kill more people you're not seeing the bigger picture!"

Normal: "What no, Linc don't listen to her!"

Scary: "Listen to me!"

[AND THEN LINC SNAPS THE PIC]

**

Okay there's... A lot to unpack here. I'll start by pointing out what I think are a few key things to take note of:

- Linc is seemingly adamant on choosing the empathetic route and not letting any more people get hurt

- Linc affirms that sometimes the harder route is the better one

- Scary rejects the notion that simply saying "I love you" or otherwise being kind in words could actually do anything

- Norm says "don't listen to her"

- Linc's decision to break the pic only occurs after Scary says what she does (above point), seemingly in conflict with what he himself said only moments prior about not taking the violent route.

What I think needs to be understood about Linc is that, more than anyone in the group, Linc's decisions are calculated. Yes they often catch us off guard (seriously the amount of times Linc has done something that's made me actually gasp in shock is a bit crazy), but once the dust has settled, his decisions are always clearly consistent with who Linc is as a person and his philosophy, and accordingly, never come from a place of selfishness. The humor of it aside, when Linc says that he never misses any shot that he takes (:( Can't find the exact quote), he is entirely correct (and admittedly while I probably should gather various examples to show you what I mean, Linc swapping places with himself and Nicky really is the most perfect demonstration I could possibly ask for, as it showcases both Linc's aforementioned selflessness and how Linc's seemingly shocking decisions are never actually accidents or executed with uncertainty on his end). Try to keep these above points in mind as we move forward.

Next, let's consider the pros and cons for Linc of breaking or not breaking the pic, as seen from Linc's perspective. I suppose the general impression I've gotten thus far is that many people seem to be interpreting Linc breaking the pic as a likely (or sure) sign that he has "given up" on Normal's plan, and given in to choosing the "easier" route. This, I perhaps a bit boldly argue, raises a number of questions and ultimately implodes in on itself as an interpretation after even a brief consideration of them. At the most basic, and perhaps least interesting level, it's not like it would be that hard to search a little bit for some demonstration of love (especially with a certain pair of will-they-won't-they partners not too far away... Though I feel like the pic also could have been interesting as applied to some of the other characters around right now? Anyways...) You could say then, that maybe Linc simply doesn't care about using empathy, and has ultimately lost confidence in Norm's plan by this point, so he takes the path of absolute least resistance cause, well, whatever. But wait, didn't Linc *just* say that they weren't going to do things that way, and that he doesn't want more people to be killed? (You might say then that he thinks Scary has a point on "not seeing the bigger picture" and believes that choosing violence here will result in less deaths, but frankly I just don't think there's anything promising or compelling enough about Scary's argument here for Linc to have any real reason to believe it, all the more so given Willy’s involvement). Are we to think, then, that Linc changes his mind purely on a whim, and a whim influenced by Scary of all people no less? Frankly, I see this as a severe underestimation of Linc's strength of character, and this is where we really do need to consider the degree of calculation and confidence that goes into Linc's decision making and risk taking. What I'm saying is, Linc simply doesn't fall victim to selfish impulses that way (and within the group this is a quality unique to him!). Moreover, even if Linc might have his doubts in Norm and his plan, he still has significantly more reason to go with that than to listen to Scary. Seriously, Linc has every reason to not listen to Scary here. When it comes to what Linc cares about the most, Scary has without a doubt harmed Linc more than the Doodler ever could (The significance of Tony Pepperoni being stabbed in Linc's home in front of his dad  c a n n o t  be forgotten or understated!!!). Even if Linc didn't care at all about showing empathy to the Doodler, if he were acting purely out of selfishness he would still have more reason to do so if only because it means not giving the satisfaction to or otherwise helping Scary (and Willy).

But Scary is confused, and Scary is lonely, and from her perspective she probably does feel betrayed. We (and Linc) are given some important information regarding Scary in this episode. Firstly, we get a glimpse into how Willy has twisted things and convinced her that violence is the better option (not because it's easier per se, but because more people will apparently be saved in the long run). Second, Linc finally understands what Scary needs... Or at least what she doesn't need. Specifically, he understands that simply saying "I love you" isn't enough. He understands that Scary will never believe it no matter how many times it is said, and that to really prove to Scary that she is loved and get through to her, he needs to show her, has to prove to her that, despite everything, he is still on her side.

Linc, I dare argue more than any of the teens, has so much reason to leave Scary behind. But he understands her now, and, against Normal's wishes, listens to her. In a weird way (if I'm not dead wrong about this whole empathy thing), this kind of is Linc's "throne of the doodler" equivalent. It would be so easy to not break the pic, to not choose to (help and) empathize with Scary after all the pain she has caused him, but that's not the kind of person Linc is, and I hope the points I raised earlier make that reasonably clear.

So no, I don't think Linc chose the easy option. I think he believes himself when he says that sometimes the harder route is the better one, and followed through on this when he took his shot.

Sincerely, if you think the Doodler is just a scared teen deserving of empathy and sacrifice and making tough decisions, but Scary isn't, then I think you've missed the point. The Doodler is just acting out and needs help, but when Scary or Linc break an anchor through violence (be it violently empathetic or not), we give up on them? We hope for Normal to abandon them when they're hurting and depict it as deserved or even righteous? I can't get behind that, I'm sorry. 

Furthermore, whereas Norm would certainly be justified in feeling concerned for the Doodler's sake if Linc's actions count as an act of violence, apart from that like, if Norm chooses to interpret Linc reaching out and showing support to someone as lost and alone and in need of help as Scary as a personal attack against him, either as a betrayal of their friendship (Norm is very jealousy-prone we’ve known this from the start!) or as a direct attack against Norm's perfect little violence-free narrative that lets him be the hero regardless of who gets left behind wait does he actually just hate Hero cause of her name hm, then that is, respectfully, completely a problem with him, and not with Linc. I think if Normal actually snaps from this, then his entire philosophy of choosing empathy is based on a lie, and Norm just wants to follow the narrative that allows him to be the hero on paper, so that everybody finally loves him.

Well that's a bit harsh huh. Believe it or not, I'm genuinely not trying to throw Norm under the bus here. But... I am trying to expose his flaws and shortcomings in relation to the other teens. This is important moving forward, because in refusing to seriously acknowledge the fact that Norm, while still having plenty of good in his heart, is someone who can be quite self-centered, and ultimately cares about being well-perceived and loved first and foremost, we become blind to the ways in which Norm, like Scary, is vulnerable to future instances of manipulation. That bit on appearance vs. true compassion isn't mere interpretation, by the way, Will has stated this quite clearly in episode 27 of teen talk (and in general I'd really rather not rely on that kind of bonus content in these sorts of posts but, well, it's hard to ignore this):

**

Will: (In reference to Norm's scene in the pride layer) "I feel like I understand Normal better now, like a kind of darker side of his psyche that's different from Henry... Like Henry's very concerned with being a good person but I don't think is super concerned with whether people like him or not, whereas Normal is like a little concerned with being a good person but *mostly* concerned- it's two different ways to solve love [he explains what it implies for Henry], the other is 'if everyone else likes me, that means I can take that in as well'."

**

I need to stress that I am not trying to imply that Norm is anywhere close to being a bad person, btw. Normal, like everybody else, has his flaws, but has proven that he has plenty of good qualities as well. What I *am* trying to imply is that Norm does have a tendency to put himself at the center of things, and is from a more meta standpoint benefiting from a narrative that puts him at the center of things (more or less guaranteeing that he will be seen as a hero of sorts no matter what- evident even in how fandom largely depicts him vs the other teens), and I'm just saying that if ever he found himself in Oakvale by some chance he might really appreciate the enforced anti-violence initiative put in place by the town's noble leader who really just gets him and praises him and-

I know (almost) nobody wants to hear this, but if Normal actually had a villain arc, it would most likely consist of him falling down the same path that Barry did. Barry was a hero, on paper. And the people around him certainly saw him as such, and loved and accepted him in some sense of the word, which is what he truly wanted at the end of the day. And he got rid of all the violence!!! 

But none of that makes Barry a good person.

*sniff sniff*

Hey... Has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of stinky weebs in this post?

As much as I myself am a bit more interested in the Linc side of things right now, I do need to talk a bit (or a lot) about Taylor too. My little guy! You haven't even had a proper, serious character arc yet and people have already decided that you don't have a shot vis a vis the upcoming anchors, despite easily being the most emotionally resilient and stable of the group. You know what, I'm gonna throw in most loyal too. If you'll humor me...

Taylor may not be the most empathetic of the teens (in fact, he may very well be the least), but this doesn't mean he doesn't care, and doesn't mean he isn't kind in his own way. What's particular about Taylor's brand of loyalty compared to the other teens that I think might make it a bit easy to overlook is that it while it is very strong, it tends to be reserved only for the people he chooses to call his friends (oh, and his mom!). There's no question of Taylor's choice to disregard what Nick tells him and go back to save Linc from the FBI, it embodies some of the most fundamental parts of who Taylor is as a person. Which I guess is to say that, there are ultimately only so many people Taylor chooses to have in his circle, but those bonds are extremely important to him, and he really is ride or die about them. I think that this aspect is most obvious when looking either at Taylor's relationship with Linc or Cassandra, but also with Hermie actually! Oh, and similar to the example with the FBI, Taylor's response to the whole Tony situation is perfectly consistent with this aspect of his character as well. Tony was not part of Taylor's circle, not someone he chose to let himself get attached to (because when Taylor gets attached to someone, it is indeed a very deliberate choice), so no, he's not gonna care that much about Tony's death. But he is bothered by Scary's betrayal. He is bothered because, even if they weren't the closest, Scary was, I would argue, still part of Taylor's circle. And yes, he is bothered by Linc leaving him alone in the last episode for the same reason, except that in this case it's probably worse actually. I know I'm straying pretty far from the original topic here, but still I think it's worth exploring the interesting position this puts Taylor in going forward, especially with respect to Nick. 

("Seriously baba when did this become about Nicky literally what are you talking about right now?")

Thus far, Taylor has made it very clear that no, he is not going to allow Nick to be someone he becomes attached to. There's a risk, in loving and becoming loyal to someone as strongly as Taylor does, and Nicky has not yet proven himself to be a risk worth taking. So what happens next? Nicky is (finally) around after all, so what might the future hold for little Taylor? On the one hand, Nicky's "words of advice" might begin to get through to Taylor, which could leave him in a pretty dangerous position. Taylor takes a big risk every time he lets someone in (everyone does but Taylor more than all the others because of how fully he loves and trusts and protects, is what I'm saying- er... He's a lot like his dad that way actually!), so what if Nick convinces him that nobody is worth that risk, and that everyone you hold dear will ultimately betray you? Well, I think we'd be left with a very lonely Taylor! Conversely, what if Nicky decides to prove himself worthy of Taylor's love? What if Taylor comes around and lets him in? ahaha shit I feel like there's a bad joke to be made about Taylor keeping his dad at arms length and his dad not having any arms right now god fucking damn it what even is this post. Will Nicky be able to maintain that trust? If he abandoned Taylor again, after Taylor has allowed himself to become attached (or if something happens to Nicky cause lets face it horrible things tend to happen to Nicky), I think Taylor might finally have a hard time getting back up.

What the fuck was I talking about? Oh yeah, so I guess going back to Norm, on the one hand, I guess on the more extreme end Taylor could actually take Linc's actions very hard, in which case I actually could see him sticking with Norm as an act of self-preservation. That said, I don't personally feel that this will be the case, that Linc is still ultimately in Taylor's circle, and accordingly Taylor's loyalty towards Linc will persist, albeit perhaps with a seed of doubt sewn at the back of his mind. And I don't think in that case that it's fair to frame this as Taylor betraying Normal? As others have pointed out, Norm frankly just hasn't really earned much in the way of Taylor's friendship. Really, as far as I'm concerned, Taylor doesn't really owe Norm much of anything at all. From the very beginning Norm has made it clear that he doesn't particularly care for Taylor, and ultimately has let his own jealousy and desire for attention (especially Linc and Hermie's attention) get in the way of ever really getting to know or appreciate Taylor beyond the surface level. Would I call it betrayal for Taylor to choose to continue to support his best friend instead of the guy who told him that anime isn't real? No, and I think the double standard is pretty obvious if we consider the reverse. That is, if Taylor chose Norm over Linc, after everything he and Linc have been through, would we be framing Linc as the victim of some grand betrayal? I genuinely don't think we would, at least not to the extent that we would with Norm. I suppose I'm saying all this, because well as aforementioned I just find there's been a lot of undeserved cynicism towards Taylor, and I think a lot of it does genuinely come from Normal's privileged position within the narrative as its de facto "hero" and what is most convenient for maintaining that image (and when I say "hero", that does include "righteous villains" who "deserve(d) to snap", just so we're clear on that).

Hmmmm I kinda wanna talk about Taylor and Normal as each other's foils but this post is getting a bit long isn't it... *Sigh* Not today, no, not today.

......Okay but still I have to say that if Taylor actually does finally get his "main character moment" I actually think that would be a great opportunity for Norm to acknowledge, reconcile, and learn to cope both with his jealousy and the parts of himself that are self-centered. Conversely, if Taylor does for one reason or another stray a bit too far into the habit of keeping people at arm's length out of fear of abandonment, betrayal, or the like, I think he could learn something from Norm too (having trouble phrasing exactly what I mean here, so perhaps I'll save the full notion for another time!)

So that's... Yeah, I think that's the most important stuff. I debated on sort of elaborating on examples of Norm's major character flaws, but despite everything my intent here was first and foremost to offer a "defense of the other teens" more than anything else. Though I will say that I think there is something to be said about how Normal's self-centeredness gets in the way of his ability to actually help those around him (Grant and Taylor both being great examples in "The Staircase"), how this contrasts with Linc's willingness to actually listen to and figure out what Scary needs in this most recent episode, and accordingly what Normal could potentially learn from Linc about not just choosing the route that's easiest for you.

[palestaticexchange]

FAQ... 2

(Feel free to message my inbox, queries will be added here as and when questions are asked)

Do I need to answer the "likes/ dislikes" part of the form?

Nope! If you're not fussed on what is created for you then by all means leave them blank, the only required questions are your URL (so that I can contact you) and your chosen medium. Your partner will have your URL so they can always mooch through your blog if unsure.

Why did you ask for our chosen mediums if the draw is random?

Because I'm genuinely curious! You're a talented bunch!

You keep using the word "partner" will the person I get, get me?

No, I'm saying partner because it's thematic for DE and I can't think of a better general term.

How will the draw be done?

Incognitosanta seemed to work pretty well last time, so I'll be doing that again! (Unless responses from THIS poll indicate otherwise) This means I'll post a link and once live you click on YOUR OWN url to see who you've been paired with!

I will create a random draw, then me and @koreplus will message half of you each with your recipient and their likes/ dislikes. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE FOLLOWING OUR BLOGS IF YOU HAVE "only blogs I follow can message me" ON IN THE SETTINGS!

I want to change my Tumblr URL but I've already filled in the form!

Just DM me @thegrimreaperisanerd I'll make sure I amend it in my notes so that you get tagged in everything correctly :)

Help! I signed up and I'm not going to be able to create something in time! What do I do?!

Things happen, it's okay. However PLEASE let me know ASAP so I can make sure your partner isn't left out on posting day.

What do you mean I have to contact my recipient myself if I've not posted anything by August 5th?

That form question is irrelevant for 99% of people, it's more so that I'm not trying to chase up missing gifts over a month after the upload date... Running/ setting this up last year ended up being moderately more effort than I anticipated. Which is fine! I'm glad so many people were interested!

But, I ended up begging for assistance and @koreplus very kindly became a second point of contact. However, I am just *generally* not very organised, so it's to help mediate some of MY stress.

Like I said: will most likely be irrelevant, but if you don't contact me before upload day (I can try to work with you to help you finish/ potentially assign your partner to somebody else; IF I am given enough notice) and time passes and your partner hasn't received a gift OR an explanation, it's not really fair to them, is it? Nobody likes to feel left out.

Who are you?

Hiya~ Tumblr user thegrimreaperisanerd here. I use they/them pronouns. If you have any experience running/ moderating something like this then don't hesitate to reach out! For the love of God!

We had 56 responses last time, so as this grows (and with this having been done previously) I'm expecting that number to be higher this time. After this summer cycle I would *really* like to give this project away to somebody more capable than myself!

My partner's "likes" are all things I'd rather not create, what now?

The likes section is more of a guideline! I included that in case you draw your partner and think "Well, I don't know this person at all." As long as you create something and put your heart into it then I can't imagine this will be an issue.

Just don't create something from their "dislikes" section, *THAT* is more important!

Huh, since the last Pale Static Exchange was based around the Winter Solstice I kinda thought this one would be based around the Summer Solstice?

Yeah me too~ Teehee~

[comeforthepizza]

Showbiz Pizza Magic Night (1984), Segment 8: "Michael Jackson Intro/Michael Jackson Tribute" Transcript

NOTE: THIS TRANSCRIPT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION! I found a live performance that shows some of the line distribution in the medley was wrong in my original post. I don’t have the chance to fix it right now, but I’ll do it as soon as I can!

Note: Here's the eighth and final segment of Magic Night! This one includes the well-known Michael Jackson Intro skit, along with the first of the Rock-afire Explosion's Michael Jackson medleys. If you want to check out the rest of the Magic Night transcripts, you can find links to them all at the bottom of the script, as well as footnotes.

As always, if you find any errors, please let me know and I'll fix it as soon as possible!

MAGIC NIGHT 1984

SEGMENT EIGHT: MICHAEL JACKSON INTRO/MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE

Featuring:

Burt "Sal" Wilson as Fatz Geronimo

Aaron Fechter as Billy Bob Brockali, Looney Bird, Rolfe DeWolfe, and Earl Schmerle

Shalisa Sloan as Mitzi Mozzarella

Rick Bailey as Beach Bear

Duke Chauppetta as Dook LaRue

----------

BILLY BOB: Well, howdy, everybody. I’m Billy Bob, and we’re back with another big show. But before we get on with it, I wanted to tell y’all something really interesting! It interests me, anyway. The other night, I was over at Disney World, I was vacationing, you know, had a couple days off and I was at Disney, and I was at the Country Bear Jamboree, and I was up there on stage gigging and jamming and playing with all them other bears and lo and behold, who was in the audience but Michael Jackson of all people!

MITZI: Wait a minute, wait a minute!

BILLY BOB: Yeah! And we got him up on stage-

MITZI: You saw Michael Jackson?

BILLY BOB: - and we were dancing and singing all his songs and having a good ol' time, right there at Disney World! He must have been va-

MITZI: You saw Michael Jackson!?

BILLY BOB: Yeah! And we did Billie Jean-

MITZI: You mean the Michael Jackson!?

BILLY BOB: The Michael Jackson! It was so great, and he did some songs from his album Thriller-

MITZI: No! No, you couldn’t have done that to me! You mean, you saw him and I didn’t get to!?

BILLY BOB: Well, Mitzi, we invited you to come with us to Disney.

MITZI: Well… I had cheerleading practice!

BILLY BOB: I know. Well, maybe another time. But it was so much fun-

MITZI: I’ll never get to see him again and y’all got to see him!

BILLY BOB: Well-

MITZI: It’s not fair.

BILLY BOB: Well-

MITZI: Michael Jackson’s my favorite thing, I love him!

BILLY BOB: I’m sorry, Mitzi.

MITZI: Well. Did you get his autograph?

BILLY BOB: Gah, you know, we were so excited… I don’t know, we forgot.

MITZI: You didn’t get his autograph for me!?

BILLY BOB: No, no, I’m sorry.

MITZI: You’re so thoughtless!

BILLY BOB: I’m sorry. Um.

MITZI: If I was there, I would’ve gotten 400 autographs! If I was there and y’all weren’t there, I would’ve gotten autographs for y’all, too!

BILLY BOB: Well, gee, that’d be nice, Mitzi-

ROLFE: Hey! Autographs, autographs, that’s all I ever hear! “Rolfe, would you please give me your autograph?” Every time I go out in public, people beg me for my autographs. But you know what? I don’t give it to them. I get hounded so much, I’m just sick and tired of it. So, uh, no autographs and that’s all! So, the answer is no. No! I will not give you my autograph, Mitzi. I’m sorry, you’ll have to get-

EARL: Rolfe, Rolfe, Rolfe! They are not talking about you. They do not want your autograph, and neither does anybody else. Would somebody please close the curtains on this nerd? I can’t even stand to look at him.

BEACH BEAR: Wonderful idea, there. Mitzi.

(There’s an uncomfortable pause.)

MITZI: … What?

BEACH BEAR: People like Michael Jackson, they get accosted for autographs all the time. Now, he was out at Disney World trying to have a good time. If you had been there, trying to get 400 autographs, you would have ruined his day. Do you understand?

MITZI: Yeah. I understand.

BEACH BEAR: Good. Now, what are you gonna do if you see Michael Jackson?

MITZI (Sudden, explosive.): I’m gonna rip his shirt off!! I’m gonna get a clump of his hair!! I’m gonna tear off his shoes!! I’ll do ANYTHING just to make up for this time when I didn’t get his autograph!!

(A beat of stunned silence.)

BEACH BEAR: … Alright. I can understand that. But for now, uh, I think we should pay musical tribute to the man by butchering one of his songs.

[SONG: MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE/MEDLEY]

NO. 1: BILLIE JEAN

BEACH BEAR: But we really like you, Michael, so we’re gonna do it to a whole medley.

DOOK:

SHE TOLD ME HER NAME WAS BILLIE JEAN, AS SHE CAUSED A SCENE

THEN EVERY HEAD TURNED WITH EYES THAT DREAMED OF BEING THE ONE

DOOK & BEACH BEAR:

WHO WILL DANCE ON THE FLOOR IN THE ROUND

DOOK:

PEOPLE ALWAYS TOLD ME, TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO

“DON’T GO AROUND BREAKING YOUNG GIRLS’ HEARTS”

AND MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME TO BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LOVE

“BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU DO

BECAUSE THE LIE BECOMES THE TRUTH”

HEY, HEY, HEY

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

BILLIE JEAN IS NOT MY LOVER

SHE’S JUST A GIRL WHO CLAIMS THAT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI:

I AM THE ONE

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

BUT THE KID IS NOT MY SON

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI:

SHE SAYS I AM THE ONE

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

BUT THE KID IS NOT MY SON

BILLY BOB: Hey, has anyone seen Michael’s new video?

FATZ: Are you kidding?

NO. 2: THRILLER

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

THRILLER

THRILLER NIGHT

BEACH BEAR:

AND NO ONE’S GONNA SAVE YOU

FROM THE BEAST ABOUT TO STRIKE

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

THRILLER

THRILLER NIGHT

BEACH BEAR:

YOU’RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE

INSIDER A KILLER, THRILLER

YOU HEAR THE DOOR SLAM

AND REALIZE THERE’S NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN

YOU FEEL THE COLD HAND

AND WONDER IF YOU’LL EVER SEE THE SUN

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES

BEACH BEAR:

AND HOPE THAT THIS IS JUST IMAGINATION

GIRL

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

BUT ALL THE WHILE

BEACH BEAR:

YOU HEAR A CREATURE CREEPING UP BEHIND

YOU’RE OUT OF TIME

‘CAUSE THIS IS

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

THRILLER

THRILLER NIGHT

BEACH BEAR:

THERE AIN’T NO SECOND CHANCE

FROM THE THING WITH FORTY EYES

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

THRILLER

THRILLER NIGHT

BEACH BEAR:

YOU’RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE INSIDE A

DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

KILLER

BEACH BEAR:

KILLER

DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

THRILLER

BEACH BEAR:

THRILLER

BEACH BEAR, DOOK, MITZI, & BILLY BOB:

TONIGHT

NO. 3: WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING (INSTRUMENTAL)

SUN & MOON*:

MA, MA, SE

MA, MA, SA

MA, MA, COO, SA

BILLY BOB: Hey, what about that video Thriller? Has everybody seen it?

(Sounds of affirmation come from center stage.)

FATZ: Yeah, I saw it. 

BILLY BOB: Yeah? What’cha think?

FATZ: It scared me to death! I had to watch it with one eye closed. I’m under my bed.

(Everyone laughs.)

BEACH BEAR: You know, I thought- I think it sets precedence for a contemporary musical demographic. I think it adds sort of an anti-pseudo-expressionism in it.

FATZ: Yeah.

BILLY BOB: What’s that mean?

BEACH BEAR: It means it’s- it’s now. It’s wow.

FATZ: Yeah. With a marketed propensity towards obesity and sloth.

BEACH BEAR: Right.

DOOK (Imitating the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz): “I do believe in spooks! I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks!”

(They laugh.)

BILLY BOB: Hey, Looney Bird, how ‘bout you? What’d you think of it?

LOONEY BIRD: I didn’t see it.

BILLY BOB: How come, Looney Bird? Everybody’s seen it.

LOONEY BIRD: It’s on MTV, right?

BILLY BOB: Right.

LOONEY BIRD: Well, every time I turn on MTV, all I see is John Cougar Mellencamp. So, I turn it off. There’s better stuff on my police scanner.

BILLY BOB: Hey, does anybody remember any of Michael’s old songs?

(Everyone agrees that they do.)

NO. 4: THE LOVE YOU SAVE (ORIGINALLY BY THE JACKSON 5)

ALL**:

DO, DO

DO, DO, DO, DO

DO, DO, DO, DO

DO, DO, DO, DO

DO, DO

DO, DO, DO, DO

DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO

MITZI:

WHEN WE PLAYED TAG IN GRADE SCHOOL

YOU WANTED TO BE IT

BUT CHASING GIRLS WAS JUST A FAD

YOU CROSSED YOUR HEART YOU’D QUIT

WHEN WE GREW UP YOU TRADED

YOUR PROMISE FOR MY RING

NOW JUST LIKE BACK IN GRADE SCHOOL

YOU’RE DOING THE SAME OLD THING

STOP, THE LOVE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

DARLING, TAKE IT SLOW

OR SOMEDAY YOU’LL BE ALL ALONE

YOU’D BETTER STOP, THE LOVE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

DARLING, LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS ME

YOU’RE HEADED FOR THE DANGER ZONE

Sit down, boy! I think I love you! Now, wait a minute, boy! Get up! Show me what you can do!

ROLFE: Okay! Lucky day, lucky day! I’ve reconsidered. I’m going to sign some autographs after all! But a limited number only, of course. Ten autographs. The first ten people to get lined up right here- the line forms to the right- are gonna get autographs. No! Twenty autographs! That’s it! Lucky day! I’m in such a good mood!

(He laughs.)

EARL: Rolfe!

DOOK: Hey, Rolfe, we’re trying to do a show here about Michael Jackson. Why would anybody want your autograph?

ROLFE: Hey, hey, um. Uh. I am Michael’s inspiration, you know. 

(Everyone protests.)

FATZ: Wait, wait, wait, y’all, chill out, chill out. Rolfe’s right. Here’s a song he had to inspire.

NO. 5: BEAT IT

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

ALL:

NO ONE WANTS TO BE DEFEATED

FATZ:

SHOWING HOW FUNKY AND STRONG IS YOUR FIGHT

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHT

JUST

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

ALL:

NO ONE WANTS TO BE DEFEATED

FATZ:

SHOWING HOW FUNKY AND STRONG IS YOUR FIGHT

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHT

JUST BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

FATZ:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

FATZ:

YOU BETTER RUN, YOU BETTER DO WHAT YOU CAN

DON’T WANNA SEE NO BLOOD, DON’T BE NO MACHO MAN

YOU WANNA BE TOUGH, BETTER DO WHAT YOU CAN

SO BEAT IT

BUT YOU WANNA BE BAD

SO

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

ALL:

NO ONE WANTS TO BE DEFEATED

FATZ:

SHOWING HOW FUNKY AND STRONG IS YOUR FIGHT

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHT

JUST

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

FATZ, BEACH BEAR, & MITZI:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

ALL:

NO ONE WANTS TO BE DEFEATED

FATZ:

SHOWING HOW FUNKY AND STRONG IS YOUR FIGHT

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHT

JUST BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

FATZ:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

FATZ:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

FATZ:

BEAT IT

DOOK, BEACH BEAR, MITZI, BILLY BOB, & LOONEY BIRD:

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

BEAT IT

FATZ:

BEAT IT

Better beat it, Rolfe.

BILLY BOB: Okay, well, hey, we had a lot of fun doing Michael’s songs today from his brilliant career, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next! 

BEACH BEAR: Yeah, we could butcher some of that, too.

END.

----------

Footnotes:

*This vocalization is repeated throughout this section, underscoring the dialogue.

**“ALL” encompasses the center and right stages. Rolfe and Earl do not sing in this number.

----------

Check out the rest of Magic Night!:

Magic Night Intro/Magic Medley

Fatz's Witch Story/That Old Black Magic

The Magic Touch (Outtake)

Letters to Looney Bird #1/Little Arrows

Abracadabra Medley Intro/Abracadabra Medley

Multiple Voice Syndrome/Puff the Magic Dragon

Ambience Skit/Magic (from Xanadu)

Letters to Looney Bird #2/Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

[ineffably-human]

So uh, speaking of leaks... (part 2)

On a Discord server, @kyrilu pointed out two more Vimeo links of people reading for Shadows scenes in s4. I’m posting them with permission. Unlike the other leak provided, these are still up and able to be viewed by whoever. (Please don’t bother the people who auditioned, or anyone in the Shadows cast/crew, or do anything that could lead to these getting a takedown like the other leak apparently did.)

Since I've seen people questioning how real any of these are, I don't know about the first leak (the Freddie one) since we don't have actual video and only a clip of audio, except that @kyrilu seems like a very nice person who is familiar with looking up industry stuff and who also found these other vids. (Which are easily found btw, literally just search wwdits on Vimeo.)

But these other videos they also pointed out seem completely legit. These are real people clearly reading from audition sides, they give their names and heights etc etc, they're from around 3 months ago which is when they'd be casting/shooting for smaller parts. There's a video on Vimeo that's from a year ago with someone reading for Contessa Carmilla, and those lines are similar to or identical to the lines we actually got in A Farewell. I agree the dialogue to the Freddie one feels kind of 'off', but these two scenes also feel perfectly in character and in line with the show's humor.

I transcribed the first link here and gave my thoughts. Now I'll be transcribing/doing meta about the second one which is...y'all. This isn't a plot spoiler but what's going on in these scenes, I am even more excited for this Nandermo-wise than I am about the first leak that sent everyone spiraling earlier. I love this. I love everything about this SO MUCH.

As before, I’m going to reference 'Reader’ for person reading the other lines and 'Actor’ for the person screen testing since it’s not always clear who the reader is reading for when there are more than two people in the scene. I’ll speculate/give a name of what character it seems to be when I can.

Transcript of the second link:

SCENE ONE:

ACTOR (Richie Suck): (playing with a video game controller, BIG yawn, pause) I'm okay.

READER (Tom): I said you're too tired, Master. We talked about this! She's not paying enough for you to give so much of yourself to people who don't love you.

READER (I mean I can't confirm this but it's Nandor, right? it NEEDS to be Nandor): Richie, who is this jackass?

ACTOR: It's my familiar Tom.

READER (please let this be Nandor): And you let him speak to you in this way?

READER (Tom): I take care of my master. He's been traumatized by the music business.

READER (Nandor?): Begone, familiar. I am not speaking to you. This is a vampire-only discussion. Right, Richie?

ACTOR: (angrily) Tom protects me from myself! You need to be more respectful!

READER (Nandor?): (gasps) I should respect Familiar Tom?

(Richie nods empatically)

READER (Tom): Doctor Tom.

(Richie mouths for emphasis, 'Doctor Tom')

SCENE TWO:

(Richie is standing holding a microphone, his eyes are closed pensively and he nods a few times)

READER (could be Nandor? or Tom here really): Remember what I said, be yourself.

(Richie gives them a thumbs up, slaps his chest twice, steps forward and waves his arm in a horizontal chopping motion before raising the mic)

ACTOR: Thank you all for coming out. I've been away for a while, and well, it's been a journey. So before I start the show, I'd like to bring out a man that's been important to this whole part: my familiar! Dr. Tom Schmidt!

READER (Dr. Tom): Thanks, Richie. First of all-

ACTOR: Hold up! Now, me and Dr. Tom decided I should be more (waves a hand) authentic, so we collaborated on a bunch of new songs with (indicating someone) Jasmine Three here.

(READER as audience boos)

ACTOR: But guess what? We ain't doing none of those songs.

(Audience cheers)

READER (Dr. Tom): Listen, Master...

ACTOR: Hey, hey, I'm done listening to you. Somebody come eat this bitch.

(Audience cheers)

ACTOR: Now, who wants to hear me do my thing? (audience cheers) Who wants to hear my tell my truth? (cheers) Who wants to hear some shit from Richie Suck that they ain't never heard before? (cheers) Who wants to hear me do some observational comedy?

(Audience boos)

ACTOR: Like, have you ever been flying around as a bat, and get hit by a drone, and think (looks scandalized) damn, the robots are after us? (audience boos) Like you know what's cool about being a vampire? Huh? ...You don't have to do any dishes! (dead silence) ...No, but seriously, grandmas say some stupid shit. (audience boos)

READER (some fan maybe?): Richie Suck, courageously working without a net, that's what makes his life experience so fuckin' irreplaceable.

READER (some fan maybe?): I came all the way from Pennsylvania, I want the hits.

READER (Nandor maybe?): Yes, maybe just sing some hits, Richie.

ACTOR: Nah! That was the old Richie! You told me to tell my truth! My truth is observational comedy. Y'all never notice how grandmas say (old lady voice) 'do you have a girlfriend?' and I be like 'bitch, if I had a girlfriend I wouldn't be visiting you, would I?' Huh? (mic drop)

---

...y'all. Y'ALL.

I love him. I love that his name is Richie Suck. I love that Dr. Tom is basically Dr. Dre. I love that Dr. Tom was trying to help him be more authentic while not torpedoing his career, and he throws the poor guy over in the most stone-cold way to do the worst standup on earth.

I feel like it's definitely Nandor in that first scene, and who encourages Richie to 'tell his truth'. I figure we're going to get at least one subplot, if not full-on episode, of Nandor traveling alone and figuring shit out; it's too good a concept and too big of a character development thing to not explore it at least a little. And this is everything I want from it, right down to seeing different examples of vampire-familiar relationships than we have in the past.

I love the idea of Nandor freshly hurting from being 'stood up', reverting to his old imperious bullshit about vampire-only conversations, and being told to cut that shit out because Richie's familiar takes care of him ("and you can take care of me") and protects him from himself ("I just want to protect you from yourselves").

"She's not paying enough for you to give so much of yourself to people who don't love you."

And I'm 100% speculating here, but the sheer potential of Nandor going 'well clearly he's just holding you back, speak your truth, tell your story, eat prey love!' and finding that no - Richie's impulses are fucking terrible and Tom absolutely did care about him, and protect him, and these people don't really love him for who he is, and Tom did, and fuck, Nandor misses Guillermo so much.

Like I don't know if the Freddie leak is real or not, honestly, but if we're getting this and then we're getting Guillermo trying to find relationships outside the household? Even if we're not getting the other leak, the way an entire subplot of Nandor's travel alone is to realize just how much Guillermo does and how much Guillermo means to him?

Guillermo is Nandor's love story. Guillermo is the love Nandor has already found. We're gonna get our asses fed and I am so freaking excited.

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Heloise's 3.5k Followers Sleepover [Closed!] and Writing Challenge [Closed!]

Hello my lovelies <3

On Wednesday we reached another milestone once again! I can’t tell you how happy I am to know that so many of you have been enjoying my writing. All the support I’ve gotten from my followers has been beyond my expectations and I’m just so very grateful. I never imagined getting 50 let alone 3500 followers. Mind blowing really! I wanted to do something fun for such a huge milestone and as it’s a writing blog, I thought, let’s write. I want the writers to enjoy writing and the readers to enjoy reading. However, on the other hand, I didn’t want to leave out my non-writer followers so a sleepover should be in place as well.

Therefore, welcome to⁠—

Heloise’s 3.5k followers Sleepover and Writing Challenge

Part 1. Sleepover [Closed!] (Please click on the link above!)

Part 2. Writing Challenge [Closed!] (See below the Keep Reading option!)

Let's have fun and send your Ask! ^^

Heloise's Map | Masterlists

Heloise’s 3.5k Followers Writing Challenge Masterlist

Part 2. Writing Challenge!

Disclaimer! I do not own any of the prompts listed below, they all belong to @screnwriter and @dreamy-prose and each prompt list I have used for creating this event are listed at the bottom of the post. [Numbers] next to prompts refer to the prompt lists you can find them at.

Rules!

➵ You don’t have to follow me to participate, although it would be much appreciated. ➵ Chose as many prompts as you’d like. No limits. ➵ Write for any universe and any pairings, I basically read everything. ➵ No incest, racial, religious, or sexual hate openly, not related to the story line, but to hurt others. If you have any of the above in your fic, I will not reblog it. ➵ Fluff, angst, smut, anything goes, just please use appropriate Warnings!  ➵ Use the Keep reading option above 500 words. Tutorial from phone is Here! ➵ No deadline for submission, but deadline for entry closes on 27 September 2021. Clarification: You can submit your fics even next year if you wish. End date is only for entering the event. I will not be able to accept entries after 27 September 2021. ➵ If you would like to participate, just send me an Ask with the prompt(s) and character and Reblog this post. ➵ Please use the tag #heloises3.5kcelebration and tag my name @heloisedaphnebrightmore when you post your fic. If it's not reblogged in 48 hours, please send me an Ask or DM. My tags seem to be funny at times. ➵ And most importantly, Have fun! :)

I decided to use both Scenario prompts and Dialogue prompts to take on a different approach compared to my last writing challenge.

Scenario prompts

Enemies to lovers / Tension prompts

1. “I’ll kiss you right now to prove that I don’t feel anything for you.” “Okay.” The two characters kiss, and whoops they felt something, followed by lingering, as they’re catching their breath, trying to make sense of what just happened, and the feelings rushing through them, and then there’s this urge to dive back in for another kiss. [5]

@goddessofdawns (x) Loki Laufeyson x Reader

2. Your enemy has never let anyone touch their scar, until you come along. [7]

@natashxromanovf (x) Bucky Barnes x Reader

3. Character A and B kiss each other to prove there's nothing going on between them, but they get so caught up in each other, they prove the exact opposite. [2]

@wearywinchester (x) Dean Winchester x Reader

4. For one night, Character A and B give into temptation and sleep with each other, hoping it will solve the tension building between them. It does the opposite. [2]

5. Character A and B avoid each other after sharing an intimate moment, be it a kiss, a hug, holding hands, or just looking at each other's lips longer than appropriate. [1]

@wearywinchester (x) Dean Winchester x Reader

6. You're upset one night, and you don't know where to go, so you end up at your enemy's house, and as they open the door, you stay silent for a second, before saying “I don't know where else to go.” Your enemy doesn't say anything, instead they pull you into their arms, giving you a shoulder to cry on. [1]

@goddessofdawns (x) Bucky Barnes x Reader

7. The best friends to lovers “Let’s just kiss to see what it’s like.” They kiss, followed by the characters pulling away, eyes still closed, forehead against forehead, lingering… and then they go in for the second kiss. [5]

@goddessofdawns (x) Newt (Maze Runner) x Reader

8. You threaten your enemy, and when they close the distance between you, you realize how attracted you truly are to them. [1]

9. Pinning your enemy against the wall. Or straddling your enemy’s hips whilst they pin your arms above your head. [1]

@theravenclawgal (x) Sirius Black x Reader

10. You end up on your enemy's lap, and you yank the belt from their pants “Let's just get this over with.” [1]

11. You're about to leave the room, but your enemy slams the door shut, and with one hand on either side of your head, barricade you against the wall... (cue the reckless make-out session). [2]

@band--psycho (x) James Potter x Reader

12. You’re sharing a bed with your enemy and being told “Stay on your side or I'll set this whole bed on fire”. Only to wake up the next day with your enemy's arms wrapped around you. [2]

@forever-and-more (x) Lorcan Salvaterre (Throne of Glass) x Reader

13. Your enemy has been badly wounded, and somebody needs to bandage them up, so you agree to help them, and suddenly they're shirtless, and you can't help but admire their body, something that cheeky bastard takes notice of. [1]

14. You've been wounded, your face is all bruised up. Your enemy puts a finger under your chin, bringing your eyes to theirs, asking “Who did this to you?”. When you don't answer, they ask you again “Who did this to you?”. [1]

@band--psycho (x) Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

@grimdevil (x) Regulus Black x Reader

15. You've just been hurt, you're bleeding out, and your enemy is freaking out, dropping the “I love you. I can't lose you” card, begging you not to close your eyes. [2]

@goddessofdawns (x) Loki Laufeyson x Reader

@forever-and-more (x) Lorcan Salvaterre (Throne of Glass) x Reader

16. Two characters look at each other, a tense silence between them and then bang, lips crash into each other as they can’t resist anymore and then one of them pins the other against the wall. [6]

@forever-and-more (x) Lorcan Salvaterre (Throne of Glass) x Reader

17. You had a really good time on the date tonight, and your date is asking for a good night kiss. It was only meant to be on the cheek, but then you pull back, our eyes meet, and there's a gravitational pull pulling you closer again. [6]

18. You’ve never been kissed before so your friend volunteers, but you decline because you’ve been best friends and it would be weird. But a couple hours later you lay awake in bed and can't stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss them and suddenly you regret what you said. [6]

@queen-of-brokenhearts (x) Hermione Granger x Female!Reader

Intimate / Domestic prompts

19. You are wearing your lover’s clothes when they say, “Can I get my shirt/hoodie back?” and you say “No.” or “Come and get it.”. [4]

@oliverwoodmarrymepls (x) Oliver Wood x Reader

20. You're talking on the phone and your lover quietly comes up behind you, wraps their arms around you, and starts gently kissing your neck. You begin to lose focus on your phone call as you concentrate on not making any noise. [3]

@band--psycho (x) Fred Weasley x Reader

21. You’re supposed to be mad at your lover but they’re holding your face and smiling, and you just can't resist it when they're pouting like that. [6]

22. You and your lover sitting next to each other at a table, and they rest their hand on your thigh, gently rubbing their thumb back and forth. [3]

23. Looking at your crush or lover only to find them already looking at you and when you make eye contact, they smile at you. [3]

@iliveiloveiwrite (x) - Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

24. You think mistletoe kisses are lame, but your love interest brings you under one, regardless of the season and suddenly you're all for it. [6]

25. You and your lover are in bed, when you say, “It’s time to get up.” and your lover pulls you back down, wraps their hands around your body, snuggles up close, preventing you from getting out of bed. [4]

26. Your lover is resting their head on your lap, falling asleep whilst you are playing with their hair. [4]

@oliverwoodmarrymepls (x) Oliver Wood x Reader

@band--psycho (x) Young!Remus Lupin x Reader

27. Having a piece of hair brushed off your face as you're reading or looking down. [3]

28. You're sick, and you can't kiss your lover, and it's an absolute torture. [6]

@msmarvelouswinchester (x) Jensen Ackles or Dean Winchester x Reader

29. Being asked “Are you sure?” (There's nothing sexier than consent) [3]

30. When it’s a slow burn, and the characters just look at each other like “Fuck it, I’m done with this.” and they finally kiss. [4]

@acourtofbooksandfantasy (x) Azriel (ACOTAR) x Reader

Dialogue prompts

Flirty / Sarcastic prompts

1. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I like the sound of your voice, because you don’t seem to ever shut up.” [9]

2. “Is that a challenge?” [9]

3. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.” [15]

@will-be-a-fineline (x) Harry Styles x reader

4. “When have I ever put you in danger? Actually, don't answer that.” [11]

@wearywinchester (x) Dean Winchester x Reader

5. “I dare you.” [9]

6. “If you don’t shut up, I might as well kiss you to put that mouth to good use.” [9]

7. Character A: “Do yourself a favour, get laid.” Character B: “Why, are you offering?” [9]

@grimdevil (x) Draco Malfoy x Reader

@theravenclawgal (x) Sirius Black x Reader

8. Character A: “What if bite you?” Character B: “I’m into that.” [10]

9. Character A is returning a priced procession to Character B and says, “I want something in return.” Character B “What?”  Character A “You.” [2]

10. Character A: “What changed your mind? “ Character B: “You.” [7]

11. Character A: “What do you want?” Character B: “You.” [9]

12. Character A: “Just admit it.” Character B: “Admit what?” Character A: “I’m the best you’ve ever had.” [13]

13. Character A: “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said, have you?” Character B: “And yet for some reason your mouth just keeps on going.” [8]

@wearywinchester (x) Dean Winchester x Reader

@theravenclawgal (x) Sirius Black x Reader

14. Character A: “I shouldn't have kissed you” “ Character B: You're right. But I should've.” [7]

15. Character A: “Do you flirt with everyone?” Character B: “Unfortunately, you’re the only one who caught my attention.” Character A: “Unfortunately?” [8]

@sexysirius (x) Sirius Black x Reader

16. Character B: “I like to keep my options open.” [8]

17. “I hate you. Oh, I hate you so much right now.” [11]

18. “Jesus Christ, you're annoying.” [11]

First kiss / Confession prompts

19. Character A: “Come over here.” Character B: “Why?” Character A: “You said you’ve never been kissed before. I’m planning on changing that.” [10]

20. Character A: “Just… don’t make this weird, all right?” Character B: “Meaning what?” Character A: “Meaning, don’t treat me like I haven’t been kissed before.” Character B: “But you… haven’t been kissed before.” Character A: “Look, I just want this over and done with, okay. I don’t want to be treated like a delicate flower. Kiss me like you mean it.” [10]

@band--psycho (x) Damon Salvatore x Reader

21. Character A: “I love you.” Character B: “I know.” Character A: “You knew?” Character B: “You haven’t exactly been discreet.” [15]

@band--psycho (x) Natasha Romanoff x Reader

22. “Listen, I know you’re busy, but… it’s important.” [15]

23. “I love you, and I don’t care if you don’t love me back. I just need you to know that I do.” [15]

24. Character A: “Do you have feelings for me?” Character B: “What?” Character A: “Do you have feelings for me?” [14]

25. “Is that truly, all it is? Just, two friends, hanging out?” [14]

@pregnant-piggy (x) Sirius Black x Reader

26. “I need to ask you something and I don’t want you to brush off the subject or turn it into a joke… I need you to be honest with me.” [14]

@grimdevil (x) Young!Sirius Black

27. “Are you… are you in love with me?” [14]

28. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” [14]

29. “All this time I thought you didn’t want me.” [14]

30. “If there’s something you want to tell me, now’s the time.” [14]

@wearywinchester (x) Dean Winchester x Reader

31. “There’s nothing going on between me and Character C. because the person I want to be with is standing right in front of me.” [14]

32. Character A: “I want this to work. I really do.” Character B: “Then we’re on the same page.” [16]

33. “I’ve missed you so much. I didn’t even think it was possible to miss someone this much.” [16]

34. “I know we're not together, but I might die today so I'm going to kiss you just in case there is no later.” [6]

Reassurance / Sweet prompts

35. “You could stay here, tonight. For as long as you'd like.” [7]

@oliverwoodmarrymepls (x) Oliver Wood x Reader

36. “Could you ever love someone like me?” [7]

37. Character A: “I've never been in love before.” Character B: “Then let me show you.” [7]

@goddessofdawns (x) Sam Wilson x Reader

38. “I can’t get up. You’re gonna have to carry me.” [11]

@goddessofdawns (x) Sam Wilson x Reader

39. “Are you okay with me kissing you?” [12]

@deanwanddamons (x) Jensen Ackles x Reader

40. “I feel safe with you. I always have.” [12]

@band--psycho (x) Newt (Maze Runner) x Reader

41. “I need you to know that you can always come to me.” [12]

@iliveiloveiwrite (x) - Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

42. Character A: “You’ll wait for me?” Character B: “For as long as I need to.” [12]

43. “I’ll always be there for you. Don’t you ever doubt that.” [12]

@band--psycho (x) George Weasley x Reader

44. “Don’t hide from me. you’re even more beautiful in the morning.” [13]

@will-be-a-fineline (x) Harry Styles x reader

45. “I’m going to kiss you until you’re sick of it.” [13]

@goddessofdawns (x) Sam Wilson x Reader

46. “Just hold me. I’m not ready to wake up.” [13]

@pregnant-piggy (x) Sirius Black x Reader

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid of sending me a message. My inbox is always open for everyone :)

Prompt lists used from @screnwriter and @dreamy-prose

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

[occasionalrpmemes]

LA by Night: Happy Families sentence starters

sentences taken from s1ep4 of the VtM chronicle LA by Night.  edit as desired.  the transcript these lines were copied from, including credits to transcribers, will be linked in the replies of this post.

tw: guns, violence, vomit, drug mention, brief n.s.f.w.

“Normally, I wouldn't bother.  But favors are favors.”

“I didn't say I was happy about it.”

“You are looking ravishing this evening.”

“Very good.  Someone's been teaching you.  Well done.”

“Perhaps we should all make ourselves comfortable, and we'll talk.”

“Does anybody talk to birds?  Is that a thing we can do?”

“What's the meaning of this?”

“Get the guns out, please, but no one fire until I say so.”

“We don't waste time on bullshit.”

“This is going to go badly very fast.  Time to go.”

“Sit down and don't move.”

“If you want to run, you should run now.”

“The party's back on!  I got to go dance.”

“I've always wanted to do this.”

“Let go of my fucking arm.”

“Who are you going to use the gun against?”

“You're a MILF, if it helps.”

“Booyah!  Booyah!”

“Look, I'm sorry, but I told you.”

“[Name], what are you doing here?”

“Who are you and what the hell is going on?”

“This is so messed up.  This can't be happening.”

“That's future [name]'s problem.”

“So, uh, that happened, and now I have two guys pointing guns at me.”

“The only safe way is straight ahead.”

“Oh shit, this guy's a problem!”

“Unfortunately, you're not in a place to fight back.”

“I need you to come back here and sit that fine ass right back down.”

“You're making it weird.”

“Please.  Just sit this one out.  I promise that nothing will happen to you and I will help deal with the consequences afterwards.  Just sit down.”

“Shit, oh my god, what's happening?”

“Don't ever say that again.”

“We're a great team, we should go on the road.”

“Then it's death.”

“What could go wrong?  No negative repercussions to this.”

“They're trying to kill us.  That's a big detail.  Don't try and gloss over that.”

“Let's just get out of here, and we'll- We'll worry about it when we get out.”

“[Name]!  [Name]!  [Name], [name], [name], [name], [name]!”

“Let's dance.”

“Going to have to do better than that, kid.”

“You're not so fucking tough now, are you?”

“Take that!  Take that, you ugly fuck!”

“Okay.  Tried to talk, that's not working.”

“No.  We're not done talking.”

“Go before I change my mind.”

“I think- I think I’m going to be sick.”

[gagging]

“You have one chance to save yourself here.  Drop your weapons.”

“You really want to talk about this now?”

[worried squeak]

“Can I have a hug?”

“Every time I get close to somebody, just, like- bullshit happens.”

“That's fine!  We can work with bullshit!  Right?  You can mold it into things, make little statues...  They'll smell bad, but you could- You could collect them--”

[mixed sobs and laughter]

“I know that I- I'll probably just make more trouble.”

“Thankfully, nothing important caught fire.”

“I've been doing some stuff.  Earning money.  A little dealing, a little larceny.”

“Look, you got no room to talk.  Look- look at your life.”

“I didn't really know what would happen, I just... I wanted to hurt you.”

“Look, [name], our family is totally screwed up.”

“It's never too late to make it right.”

“I got to get you out of this mess.”

“This is the weirdest night in my life.”

“The plan was pretty vague.”

“Can't be compelled to testify if you don't know.”

“Also, rethink your life, man.”

“You know, I was just about to say something nice to you.”

“I think you’re losing track of the macro theme here.”

“I thought we were friends.”

“Like, there's just a lot of things I don't know.”

“So now, I need a reason not to murder you.”

“Yeah, you don't look so good.”

“There's no good choices here.”

“There's no good choices here, but there's less bad ones.”

“Our way?  Not only do you get to live, you get paid.”

“I mean, whew. You've been through a lot.”

“I learned a long time ago not to judge people by their appearances.”

“That's not cool.  Please don't do that again.”

“It's never enough.”

“I can't do it.  I can't do that.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Time to talk.”

“I now know horrible things about you.”

“How do you suggest I repay you for your inconvenience?”

“Ah, [name], good to see you again.   Glad you're unhurt.”

“We're friends.  Pals.  And maybe sex stuff?  It's unclear.”

“Chaos is a ladder.”

“Just be safe.”

“It's fine. It's fine.  It's fine.”

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Nothing is easy. It's a complicated world.”

“It's possible to be a good person in a complicated world. I believe that.”

“We may have to do some things that you're really not going to like.”

[text:]  vital information.  need to speak.

“I guess I'll punch that bridge when I get to it, then.”

[dear-alex-chill]

Ducktales Story from Discord #1

Louie: what's the one thing mark Beaks doesn't have?

Webby: a brain?

Gyro: originality.

Scrooge: as much money as me

Fenton: Morals

Huey: an honest plan

Dewey: these sweet dance moves!!

Louie: all correct, but no.

Louie: he’s single

Scrooge and everyone: ooooooohhh

Mark beaks walks in: what’s so funny?

Everyone: nothing-

Louie and Gyro: your depressing life.

Webby: you tell him!

Scrooge: I’m too old for this-

Mark: Hey!! I- I HAVE MORE FOLLOWERS ON QUACK CHAT THAN YOU!!

Louie: oh please, when you’re the nephew of the richest duck in the world—*hold up phone*

Everyone wants to be your friend

Gyro: then how come you can’t get somebody to love?

Mark: speak for yourself robot dude

Fenton: well actually-

Gyro: Uh- yeah-

Mark: oh. Oh wait! Ohhhh!!! This is so going on my feed!

Louie: ha look at that.

Webby: never would’ve guessed

Louie: really?

Webby: no it was so obvious

Gyro: Why are you posting about something you don’t have?

Mark: it's just the way the world works nerd

Louie: got ‘em

Fenton: blathering blatherskite *summons arm

shoots phone*

Gyro: Yes, get him.

Mark: Hey!! Not cool Chico! Thankfully I have my backup phone..

Mark: y-yeah well I don’t see any of these kids having love lives!

Webby: actually *holds lena’s hand*

Louie: oooooOooooh what’re ya gonna do now Mark?

Mark: I am so not accepting your friend requests now!

Fenton: bold of you to assume any of us want to be your friends to begin with

Louie: you’ve been blocked

Gyro: ->- and plus, we actually have more with our lives other than looking at a screen all day.

Dewey: Yeah. Who wants to be friends with this jerk?

Huey: a masochist

Dewey: what now?

Louie: you mean like duckaplier?

Huey: yeah..

Mark: At least I have a social life. Unlike some Chicken I know..

Gyro: Excuse me?

Scrooge: alright Goldie stole the fountain of youth let’s go kids, before this..”thing” keeps talking

Mark: whatever old man. I got a business to run anyway

Louie: actually you’ve just been canceled

Mark: WHAT?!!??!

Louie: yeah, apparently you’re..just too “Mark beaks like”

Mark: *storming out of the room*

We'll see about that

Louie: hmm the moment he tries to tries to become trending I’ll cancel him again

Gyro: snickers

Dewey and Huey: Louie!

Gyro: No, please keep going green nephew.

Louie: whatttt? Im just doing what need to be done

Webby: looks like gyro has a favorite nephew

Louie: and now he’s been canceled again.

Gyro: I do not! All of you are equally annoying!

Fenton: what about me?

Huey: your his boyfriend-

Louie: and? He’s probably annoying to some extent

Gyro: You’re the most annoying! *mumbles* In the best way-

Mark: Awww #ship it!

Fenton: awwww

Gyro: WHA- Where did you come from!?

Louie: here comes the bride- all dressed in...uh tech

Gyro: ->- green nephew, I order you to stop

Louie: yeah alrighty

Webby: I swear I have no idea what’s going on anymore this conversation is just madness

Louie: uhh he’s trending somehow- and it looks like it’s just a bunch of picture of you and Fenton. He’s calling it #fenro

Gyro: What? Give me that! points to Louie’s phone

Louie: *hands it over*

Gyro: Oh this is ridiculous.

Fenton leans over to see the screen

Louie: yeah it’s gone viral everywhere

Gyro: *Shows Fenton* there

Fenton: grabs phone and stares

Gyro: well can we stop..whatever this is?

Gyro: And hey! I was holding that!

Louie: I’d cancel it, but then I might be canceled myself-

Fenton: scrolling though the tags they made fan art

Louie: I saw some links to fan fiction too

Gyro: WHAT.

Fenton: they made us kids

Mark beaks: Ha! I win

Louie: they do based on these pictures from mark’s new phone

Louie: they’re calling you the bottom

Gyro: I AM NOT!

Fenton: well how do they know that-

Louie: well whatever the truth is, they are now saying that they want a kiss pic from Mark, who probably won’t get that and then they’ll riot

Louie: we could also just give them a cuter couple

Louie: like Webby and Lena

Webby: wait What?

Louie: or Scrooge and Goldie

Huey: penumbra and mom

Dewey: Donald and daisy

Fenton: let’s just calm down, maybe we should just see if it goes away on its own

Lena: oh come on, we are the cutest couple to exist

Louie: doubt that’s ever gonna happen

Fenton: ummm *blasts all the phones in the room* solution!

Lena: well that’s one way to solve the problem ?

Louie: *pulls out another one* yeah you’re still trending

Fenton: *sighs*

Lena: okay never mind

Louie: our motto at Louie incorporated is always have a backup phone, and after that another backup

Mark: hey that was my motto first

Louie: are you sure about that?

Louie: cause now it’s mine and trending

Louie: a lie is simply a truth that has not been repeated enough times yet

Lena: he’s not wrong you know

Louie: ayyyy

Webby: LENA!

Louie: just listen to your girlfriend Webby, she’s clearly got the right idea

Huey: LOUIE!

Dewey: *posts this on Dewey Dew- night*

Mark: your just a kid! You can't possibly *looks down at phone to see Louie trending* Oh YOU-

Louie: wait, how long have you been filming for?

Dewey: the entire time

Louie: *looks over at mark* I told you it was mine

Mark: Whatever. I'll just start a new trend

Louie: too late I canceled you

Mark: *takes a selfie* Canceled Selfie!

Gyro: *sighs* will you ever shut up Beaks?

Mark beaks: i Don’t know Gryo when will you stop making evil inventions?

Gyro: Not until I crush you.

Mark: woah woah. Assassination is not a good look on you

Fenton: who said it was on him.

Webby: I don’t think it’s a good look on anyone

Louie: oh Webby, when you’re older you’ll understand

Mark: 'specially with your little project in tokyolk

Webby: and you do?

Gyro: *punches him*

Louie: uhhhhh yes?

Gyro: Now, what was that you said?

Fenton: oh my god *starts fanboying in spanish*

Mark: who PUNCHES a guy?!?!

Gyro: Me.

Louie: you’re not a guy, nor a man. Just sad little baby

Mark: *disgusted* Augh!

Huey : uhhh Dewey did you get that?

Louie: who relies on his it list mama

Dewey: yeah

Huey: should we be worried?

Dewey: nah

Gyro: No, not at all.

Louie: get out of here beaks

Mark: Fine! But I'll be back!

Scrooge walks in the room

Gyro: uhh, no you won’t

Louie: no you won’t

Scrooge: what in the blazes happened in here?!

Mark: Your children are maniacs!

Louie: Mark was bullying us

Gyro: It was simply business Mr. McDuck.

Scrooge: oh was he now?

louie pulls out puppy eyes

Scrooge: in that case, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!

Mark leaves mumbling: stupid grouchy old man

Louie: hah! Woo

Gyro: I can now finally get away from it.

Louie: you’re welcome?

Fenton: thanks. *pats on head*

Louie: HEY!

Huey: well with that settled-

Fenton: we should probably get back to whatever it is we were doing

Louie: which is?

Gyro: I actually do not know

Scrooge: Adventure!!

Louie: oh no not again

Gyro: Ah, yes. That.

Louie: *tries to walk away*

Scrooge: Now where are you going lad?

Louie: I- Uh..I’m dying?

Lena: pffft nice

Gyro: What-

Gyro: What am I even doing here, I’m leaving this chaos

Louie: y-yeah came down with the common cold of uh WAIT FOR ME!

*runs after gyro*

Gyro: No, I won’t. *continues to walk away*

Fenton: Wait what about me?

Louie: I promise to not speak or even breathe!

Gyro: hmmmm. No

Gyro: well if you don’t hurry up Cabrera then I’m leaving you

Louie: Fenton can I come? *puppy eyes*

Fenton: yes-

Gyro: *sighs* fine.

Webby: it feels like we’ve been talking for 53 years!

Lena: I know right

Huey: I know what you mean, I feel like I’m being controlled by a teen and typing out unoriginal dialogue in a phone

Credit to the Discord Chat (for making this a proper story), specifically:

@shadybelievercat

Queen_of_bread

Neighborhood Nerd

[ishipdestiel-lovesofmylifeistg85]

SPN Advent Calendar 2020- Day 12: The One With The Dancing (also posted on AO3, link below) https://archiveofourown.org/works/28160919

It's Christmas Eve at the cabin. A simple red and green wreath hangs from the mantle. Atop are several framed photos of Donna and Jody smiling and laughing together at various times. Some with, others without all variations of Alex, Claire and Kaia. 

Donna sits alone by the fire. Sipping from her glass of wine, she stares out at the night sky from the window beside her. Her pink laptop on the ottoman in front of her, quietly plays Nat King Cole.

Cas enters the room, clearing his throat so he won't startle her.

She looks over and gives a light smile, her head still against the back of the chair. "Hey there." She says. Her puffy eyes, along with the box of tissues sitting next to her in the chair, give her away.

 Picking up the bottle, Cas refills Donna's glass.

"Thanks." She says, sniffling.

"Have you heard from the girls yet?" He asks, his face soft with sympathy.

She shuffles the blanket from her lap and sets her bare feet on the floor. "Uh, no. Not yet. Alex is working tonight and Claire and Kaia are at a Christmas party. They promised we would video chat tomorrow." She adds, with a sigh.

"Would you like some company?" He asks, gesturing toward the loveseat across from her.

"I don't know how much company I'll be." She swallows, eyes darting to the floor. A soft gasp escapes as she attempts to stifle a sob. The lines around her eyes crinkle as her mouth curves into a frown.

Cas sits down across from her. 

She covers her face with her hands, broken breaths as tears run down her cheeks. "Sorry." She says, wiping her eyes with a tissue. 

"We're here for you, Donna. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I'm sure it's extremely difficult. I just wish there was a way I could ease your pain."

"I just miss her." She says, voice soft and trembling.

"I know you do. We all do." He offers, leaning up and placing a firm hand on her knee.

She nods, face scrunching. She brings the tissue to her nose.

"Jody would kick my ass if she saw me sitting here feeling sorry for myself. If she knew I couldn't even handle having Christmas with the girls. You know, if the situation was reversed, she wouldn't let anything keep her from spending Christmas all together. She always was stronger than me though. I always admired that about her."

"I think you're selling yourself short. And don't give her so much credit. You can't say what she'd do if the situation was reversed. Also, I think you might be underestimating how much you meant to her. Who's to say she wouldn't be right here where you are now, reacting the exact same way."

This brings a smile to Donna's face. "Thanks, Cas." She says, gently taking his hand.

A high pitched, whine-turned-wail comes across the baby monitor in Cas' hand.

Donna wipes her eyes again. "Somebody's awake." She says smiling, the light from the fire reflecting her dimples.

"Yeah, time to eat." Cas says, standing up and walking down the hall.

She gets up and moves her laptop to the table. The infant's crying gets louder, as Dean and Cas come into view. 

"I tried to tell him to stay in bed". Cas nods toward Dean. "That I can feed him, but stubborn Daddy thinks he has to try to do everything." He says, shaking his head.

Dean's eyes are barely open as he gently rocks and shushes baby Logan. 

"I'll go fix his bottle, sweetie." Cas says, kissing Dean on the cheek. He heads to the kitchen with the diaper bag hanging from his shoulder.

"I know you're hungry, buddy. We're gonna get you taken care of." Logan's cries soften, but continue. "I know, I know. Daddy's got you babe."

"Can I hold him" Donna asks, her face bright. She sets down her glass on the end table.

"Of course." Dean says, walking over and gently placing the infant into Donna's arms.

"Awww. You're even cuter than you were a few hours ago!" She exclaims, in full baby talk mode.

Dean sits across from her in the loveseat, smiling and watching how her eyes shimmer with Logan in her arms. His eyelids flutter, burning in desperation for more slumber.

Cas walks back into the room. "Here you go. Got it all ready for you." He walks straight over to Donna. 

"You wanna feed him?" He offers.

"Really, you don't mind?" She asks, her face lighting up even more.

"Of course not." He says, handing her the bottle. She readjusts, barely getting the bottle to his lips before his mouth is latched on and gulping the milk down. "There we go, see? Your Daddies have got you covered, little man."

Cas turns and sits next to Dean, putting his arm around his back. Dean slides up next to him,  nuzzling his face against the crook of his neck. 

Cas whispers in his ear. "You should go back to bed. I'll stay up and-"

He's cut off by Dean snoring lightly.

He and Donna chuckle.

"Poor baby. I know he's gotta be exhausted." Donna says quietly.

A loving smile spreads across Cas' lips as he closes his eyes and strokes the nape of Dean's neck. "Such a devoted Dad." He says proudly.

"You both are. This little guy is the luckiest boy in the world to have you two as his parents."

"I've never been happier." Cas says, shifting to face more toward him, he leans his cheek against the top of Dean's head. Covering his hand with his own, he takes a deep breath.

"Wow, you really were hungry. Okay, it's been a while, but I do remember you should burp between every few ounces." She tells baby Logan. 

Taking the bottle from his lips, he starts to whine. She shushes him and gently moves him to lay across her shoulder as she lightly but firmly pats his back.

"I know, you're not done yet sweetie. Just gotta get rid of the gas, so it won't hurt your little tummy." 

It doesn't take much coaxing before there's a low burp from the infant and she moves him back down into the crook of her arm. "Good job, Logan. Such a good job! Here you go, you can have some more now."

She smiles and continues to feed him, stopping to burp every few minutes. Continuing to praise him with baby talk, she gazes at his light blonde hair and blue eyes. All the while he just innocently stares at her, making little happy noises as he eats.

Once the bottle is empty, she burps him one last time. Standing up with him, and begins to talk to him again.

"You're such a good baby. You're a sweetie pie, Logan. Absolutely precious. I'm so glad your Daddies brought you to visit me."

Glancing over at the loveseat she sees the two worn out men dozing curled against each other. Walking over to the laptop, she turns up the music just a hair.

Logan coos happily as she begins to sway to the music with him still carefully held against her shoulder. "Let's let your Daddies rest for a little while.

She feels a wave of happiness sweep over her as she holds the tiny boy against her.  "Merry Christmas, Jody." She whispers.

[odissey061]

Motonari's route

Chapter(s) posted:

1. This freak won't have me

2. Kick him in the teeth

Please, teach me a better way to create link because I can't do it by myself

Chapter 3: This trick never worked at human's memory

Tag: @towa-no-yume @r-f-a-journalists

When I open my eyes the first thing I feel is an acute headache: the hands run through the hair until I discover a bump. I press it to see if I feel the pain and then I whimper like a baby: it hurts a lot. Why I'm so stupid? I take a look around me and I notice I'm in a cold and empty cell. The room is surrounded by three wooden walls and before me there's an iron grille. Here and there on the floor against the wall there are spooky chains that make me chill and smile nervously. At this moment I heard the rolling waves and I understand I'm on a ship.

Where I am? How many time has passed since my kidnap? I must return to the Oda right now! A lot of hours passed since I left Azuchi castle: I told to Hideyoshi I'd come back after lunch, so probably they have already noticed my absence.

I try open the door but, obviously, is locked and I look around to find something to force the look, but the room is empty, except the chain on the wall. Then I took a clip from my hair and, holding it tight in the hand, I pray:"At human memory this trick never worked, but, please, if there's even the littlest chance, make it happens". Great, now I pray to objects like they were gods!

I plug the clasp in the door lock but, as I expected, it doesn't work. Pushed by despair, I retry again and again, but after a large number of failed attempts and swears, finally I give up and I lean my back on the wall. A man appears in front of me: he's very tall and his body is made by tons of muscles, his eyes shining with malice. With a look I understand this man is a brute and he doesn't hesitate to use violence and if I had to fight against him, I'd probably die. "Who are you and why I'm here?" I demand, but he laughs dryly:"I'm the one who makes the questions here, little girl" and he opens the door. As he spoke, I recognize him as the man who kidnapped me. He enters in the cell and leaves open the door. I try to gain more time:"I understand why you kidnapped me: I'm very close to the Oda commanders and your boss wants information about them", Well, at least you are not stupid, that makes easier my work. So little girl, talk about your friends" he comments. "The problem is exactly about this: you see, I'm only their maid and I don't know anything about their future moves, so keep me here is useless" I lie and I walk towards the door. But the man grabs my hair, making me moan for the pain and yells at me:"You think I'm so stupid to believe you? I'm not a fool! In Azuchi people say Nobunaga brought you to battle on his horse  His voice becomes lower, still being threatening:"If you don't tell me spontaneously all you know about them, I'll make you confess with the bad manners". And when he shows a bag full of torture instruments and I'm terrified. I don't know very much about torture, but I can imagine how much they'd hurt my body. I want to scream for help, but I know nobody will save me. My face gets paler. I know already how this will finish: this man will torture me until I speak, but I don't know anything, so he'll kill me for nothing. I'll die for anything!!

"I'm not his lover: I'm his maid and I have been staying in Azuchi for a few days. I don't know anything about them and if I knew something, I surely won't talk to you" I repeat using a quiet voice to not make him angrier. "Bad answer" he smiles sadistically, almost happy about my resistance and slaps me so violently to turn my head. "Try again, little girl, but the next time I won't so merciful".

"And if I don't confess what are you going to?" I bravely provoke him. The Oda forces helped me a lot and I won't betray them for my own safety. "I'll break all of your bones and if you won't talk, then I'll cut the tendons of your hands and your feet. If you still won't confess I'll remove your eyes, then I'll tear your ears and finally I'll cut your tongue" his threats scare me a lot, but I won't give up my loyalty. He takes from the bag a strange object and he places it near to my nails.

No no no no. Please, somebody help me!

I close the eyes too scared to watch, but at that moment I hear a new voice:"Yoshitoko, what are you doing here? I'm sure the captain hasn't told you to torture this girl since he is out to collect information with a few men. So I wonder: whose order are you following?". I open my eyes and I see a young man who's throwing diggers with the glare at the man in front of me. The newcomer is younger than this man, but somehow the eldest has to obey him. "The captain is still a child, quartermaster: if all of us wait for his command, we'd have alredy died. He doesn't know what to do and he's not able to keep the promise he made" he growls, "He's the captain, not you: he knows what's the best for us better than you. You are only able to hurt people and torture them, for this reason you won't be a captain. Now leave, Yoshitoko" The man speaks with a rough voice and I can feel the subtle threat he silently implies. I except a Yoshitoko's reaction, but he obeys whispering something.

Left alone, the young man is more relaxed walks towards me and I step back, so he reassures me:"I don't want to hurt you. I want to check your wound". I let him check my arm. I groan for the pain when he tries to move it. He looks more friendly than his colleague, so I try to ask:"Can you tell me who are you and how many days passed since my kidnap? Will you torture me again to seek information I don't have?". He sighs: "The arm is broken, now I call a doctor so he can help you better. Now you are on a pirate ship and you were kidnapped by Yoshitoko yesterday, following captain's order. Now the captain is away, but in a short time he'll be back and will decide what to do about you". "Earlier I said the truth: I don't know anything about Nobunaga's future plans. Keep me here he's useless" I whisper, "Even if you don't know anything you'll probably stay here as a political hostage to be used against your friends" the man explains my situation. The sadness overwhelms me to the thought I'll be used against my friends: I can't do this to them. "But as I told you is the captain to decide, so he could even release you" he tries to reassure me, but I have no illusions: if I were in his position I'll do the same. I even realize probably I won't be able to go back to my time. No way this will happen! The man says they wait for their captain, so it means the ship is still in the port: that makes my escape more easily. The man is inside the cell and the grill is open: all I have to do is run and don't be caught. But the pirate in front of me is still vigil even if he's more relaxed, surely is ready to catch me and even I'd beat him he'll give the alarm. No, escape at this moment is too risky but if I don't do it right now later would be impossible.

The only thing I can do is talk with the captain: I'm even ready to beg for my release, it's necessary. "The captain will be here in a few hours, so be more patient" he ends the conversation. "What kind of man is your captain?" I wonder, "The captain? Is an edgy man. He treats with respect his subordinates, but he doesn't trust anyone except me on this ship. Is the type of person who can be your friend but he stabs you in the back some minutes after" he responds. So he's a bastard and the possibilities he'd let me go are very low.

* * *

It's almost evening and Hideyoshi is worried: y/n told him this morning she'd have gone in the city until lunchtime, but she didn't come back. He asked around but nobody was able to tell him where y/n was. He alerted Nobunaga who decided to hold a war council to find her. Hideyoshi expresses all of his worry and Mitsunari takes word with a stern look on his face:"I'm quite worried as well, Lord Hideyoshi. We should look after her". 

"Maybe she escaped after she went to war, after all, was her first time on a battlefield. I won't be surprised" Mitsuhide suggests with his cunning tone, but a more careful eye can see a glimpse of worry. In the past days, he went to some places with a very horrible reputation and in a red light district and he noticed a lot of Portuguese men who acted too much secretive for being simply merchant. They were really cautious: they gazed around before speaking with someone and once Mitsuhide risked revealing his true identity. Just today he succeeded to talk with a man after days of failures, but what he discovered was suspicious arms traffic. He didn't discover anything about y/n's missing. And the possibilities she's been kidnapped are not low. "My lucky charm is not a coward, Mitsuhide: she proved it during the war"       

Nobunaga scolds him, "Then I suppose we should look after her" snorts Ieyasu. "As if you hadn't done it before, before" teases Mitsuhide: Ieyasu's contrarian reactions are always a delight for him.

"Lord Ieyasu is always so kind" Mitsunari praises him. Ieyasu scolds him:"I told you I wasn't searchi-", "Enough! Each of you will send your own scouts in the city to collect information" Nobunaga stops the discussion. Once the council ends, all the warlord obey to Nobunaga orders, sending men in the city and its surroundings with the order to search for y/n and arrest everyone look suspicious. But as time passes, nobody finds y/n.

[peacefulspock]

The Quodo Fic I'll Never Write

[[Alright, I'll post what I have then! It's pretty bare bones but I couldn't get the idea of Quark leading Odo on a galaxy wide goose chase out of my head. Thank you to @boomdeyadah for cleaning this up enough to share 😚]]

☆☆☆☆☆

Odo has been gone 5 years, and while he enjoys his time in the Link he never can quite stop thinking about his friends. In fact, the longer he's gone the more he worries what kind of mischief Quark in particular is getting up to.

His thoughts are too individual, can't truly harmonize with the Link. In an effort to stop the dissonance, the mass conscious redoubles it efforts to truly absorb Odo. He's almost wooed by the ease of it all until he realizes he's lost an entire 8 months to the Link’s latest effort. Time. It's the concept of time that truly and finally drags him out of the swirling, golden ocean of his people. He has all the time in the universe. Quark does not. Quark will grow old and die and he could miss it all if he lost himself to the Link.

"I'll just go visit. That's all. I'll keep an eye on Quark until he passes because somebody has to make sure he's not up to no good."

Just keeping everyone else's pockets safe and then he'll go home. The link would still be there after all.

So he goes, not wanting to acknowledge the relief he feels while docking at the station or the gentle warmth that settles over him at seeing Kira and his old friends. Until he gets the news and it’s like someone filled his old bucket with cold water and dumped it on his head. Quark is gone. Missing. Has been for over a year. And of course Quark would be so pleased to know that people looked for him. Extensively. Even a year later Rom and Kira are still regularly discussing any new clues to his whereabouts.

"I never thought I'd miss that little gremlin, Odo, but this station isn't half as fun without him. Don't tell him I said that when we finally find him, though."

Kira is sympathetic and Odo might be sick to his stomach if he had one. He tries not to think of Quark lying dead on some backwater planet in the wilderness, or curled up in some rotten back alley after a deal gone wrong. He'd probably just scammed someone big time and scuttled off to a random moon to enjoy his stolen riches.

It takes Odo a day to decide he's going to personally find Quark after some catching up with his friends and colleagues. It's all of three days before his nerves have him saying goodbye and shipping out at warp like a man on a mission.

"The quicker I get this over with, the better," he tells himself.

He's already read over the case file a dozen times, poured over every detail. He estimates it'll take him a week to find Quark. A week comes and goes. Then two. A month. Three months. It's six months before he gets a real break and boy is it a revelation. He's going through a small, barely lived in room on a no-name freighter light-years away from the station when it hits him. Quark had been here. Maybe for weeks. He'd been here and clearly caught wind of Odo barreling at him through space because he'd left in a hurry. The sheets were still wrinkled and a hastily scribbled note was left for him on a dingy table.

[[Go away, I didn't break any laws. Leave me alone. Don't you have anything better to do than harass me?]]

No, he doesn't. Quark really was on the run. From him. He doesn't want to see Odo at all. Odo  contemplates letting him go, albeit briefly. Quark probably has a reason for avoiding him. Something criminal no doubt. So he's going to try even harder to find him. He has to see him again at least once. Then he'll really go home, for sure. He was going to arrest Quark for whatever crime he had clearly committed and then leave.

Except, it takes two years to catch Quark. That's a long time to think about why you're still after a man that you've pretended to hate. Ample time to consider that all the evidence says Quark really HASN'T committed a crime and yet you’re still using it as an excuse. Too much time to ponder the unwanted ache his absence has left since the moment YOU left HIM on DS9 without so much as a goodbye. Two years is a long time for him realize he's let self-sabotage and uncertainty get in the way of what relatively little time he can get with Quark compared to his own long, indeterminate lifespan.

What has he done? What has he done? Visions of Quark walking away for good this time fill him with dread.

"Can I fix this?"

He's determined to try. Over the long months it becomes clear Quark is intentionally leaving him clues here or there so his trail never grows cold. Sometimes letting Odo get so close he swears he sees the flash of coattails out of the corner of his eye. He's not sure exactly why Quark is leading him on but it's all the hint he needs to keep searching.

Finally, FINALLY, the game of cat and mouse is over and he's got his eyes on Quark for the first time in almost a decade. They're on a remote planet in the middle of nowhere and there's a tension between them as heavy as the years Odo has wasted. He doesn't even get a word in before Quark is pushing him, face already warm with angry tears. He fires off questions and insults quick as a knife and Odo listens patiently.

"Who do you think you are?"

"It's been years, I said leave me be."

"Why can't you leave well enough alone?"

"I never wanted to see you again anyways."

Odo doesn't know what to say but he talks anyways.

"Why did you leave? I would have left you alone if you'd asked on the station."

It's not accusatory but Quark reacts like it is.

"You're one to talk about leaving! You walked away without looking back!"

It's true. Odo knows it's true and some piss poor apology isn't enough to fix it but he still gives one, still says everything he's been too afraid to say. Quark is all hissing and righteous anger until Odo cradles his face and quietly asks if they can try again. Because saying I love you was still too hard, too vulnerable but it was the TRUTH. Had been before he'd left, too, and leaving for the Link had been like a breakup even if neither had said so.

"I won't leave again. I promise. Who else is going to keep you on your toes? I'll even sign a contract if you want."

And THAT sounds suspiciously like marriage but Quark latches onto it anyways.

"Damn right you'll stay. I don't have the funds to keep running from you anyways."

It's not perfect, of course, but it's a start. That first kiss, desperate and clumsy as it is, really helps seal the deal. Since neither really HAS to be back on DS9 anytime soon, they're on the planet enjoying each other in peace another few months before Quark is itching to check on his bar.

Later, they're still the bickering old fools they've always been, but even a blind man could see the open fondness they have for one another. Quark never ends up making a contract but he likes to threaten to every chance he gets. Odo smiles a bit too warm while he says he doesn't recall agreeing to sign any contract, and holds Quark's hand a little too gently for the teasing to have any weight.