#MAD RAT DEAD IS. THE GAME EVER

[ttimecode]

gonna play Mad Rat Dead for a bit and then maybe ill make another whiteboard...or use the one i made yesterday idk

[boxyam]

Well….would you? 😳

[s0ckh3adstudios]

so like what is??? the plot of mad rad??????? whats the little heart and why is god an anime girl,,?????

Sigh.

Okay, so, Mad Rat is a grumpy rat who doesn't trust anybody and hates living in this lab with the human scientist. One day he is killed by the scientist, but he was brought back to life by the Rat God! He was given a second chance to fulfill any last dreams he had. Which... Was wanting to get revenge on the human who killed him. Mad Rat wanted to kill the human. So, Mad Rat, along with his inexplicable talking heart nobody else can see, is on a journey to get to the human and kill him. But he experiences character growth along the way...

Oh also he can rewind time now

[key-lime-soda]

i don't think I've ever loved a song this much before. it was my #1 song of 2021 despite discovering the song of July of that year. it was in my top 10 of 2022. I have it on loop rn for no reason. the brainrot is killing me

[s-lverwing]

01. SIN

pairing. aegon targaryen x velaryon (targaryen)!reader x maelor targaryen (aegon’s twin).

summary. thoughts weight heavier than ever as you realize what’s expected from you; having a secret relationship with the king’s heir isn’t one. destiny can be defied, but duty must be followed.

word count. 4.8k (sorry). ao3 link

warnings. angst, targcest (niece and uncle), manipulation, toxic relationships. heavy pinning. kind of infidelity? english isn’t my first language and i haven’t read the books.

a/n. i got this idea from watching domina hehe and i thought it would be fun to explore this little idea i had of aegon having a twin brother that looks like a hightower. i stretched a bit what happens from driftmark until viserys dies, since i was missing more years . so this is aegon being 18-19 me and the reader is one or two years younger than him . and helaena and aegon aren’t paired yet because i don’t have the heart to make her bear children at 14 yo .

The night was still, as if the very walls of the Red Keep were holding their breath. Not even the usual footfalls of the royal guards echoed through the dim lighted corridors, nor did the familiar murmur of chambermaids’ gossip snake its way to your ears. The rat catchers had already done their work in the lower floors, leaving behind a silence that felt as suffocating as it was unusual.

Yet it wasn’t the silence that weighed so heavily on your heart—it was something deeper, something that clawed at your insides and left an acrid taste in your mouth. The Red Keep, once a place of grandeur and life, now seemed to pulse with a strange, ominous energy. You could feel it in the air, thick and oppressive, and you couldn’t help but link it to King Viserys’ worsening condition. He was a shadow of his former self, a walking corpse whose very presence seemed to taint the air with decay. The stench of his rotting flesh clung to him like a shroud, especially when mixed with the smell of milk of the poppy. He was nothing but a walking dead, a man who no longer belonged among the living. It almost served as a reminder of the state of the Kingdom.

The court was no longer the vibrant place of your childhood memories. It was a place of whispers and shadows, of secrets buried so deep they festered in the dark. You could feel the weight of those secrets pressing down on you, a burden you were not ready to carry but could no longer ignore. The responsibilities you had once tried to deny now loomed over you like a dark cloud.

And then there was Aegon. The mere thought of him brought a new kind of tension to your chest, one that was equal parts longing and dread. What you shared with him was a dangerous game, one that could end badly only for you. The risk was immense, but so too was the pull you felt towards him—a pull you could not resist, no matter how much you knew you should. You knew all too well what would happen if the rumors spread, if someone caught the two of you in a compromising position. There was no place for such reckless passion in the Red Keep, no room for fleeting romances or secret rendezvous. Not when you weren’t cunning enough to know how to hide away from their prying eyes. You were being watched, judged, and weighed against the expectations of a world that would crush you if you strayed too far from the path laid out before you.

Ser Otto Hightower’s words echoed in your mind, a constant reminder of the duty and honor that were supposed to guide you. He had been the only Hightower to show you any semblance of kindness after Lucerys had taken Aemond’s eye. It was a kindness that clung to your memory like a fragile, half-forgotten dream, overshadowed by the cruel realities that had since unfolded. Like a small mercy.

You couldn’t help but feel trapped, suffocating under the weight of expectations you had never wanted. And yet, you could not bring yourself to let go of Aegon, no matter how much you knew you should. The risk, the danger, the sheer madness of it all only seemed to draw you closer to him, even as you felt the noose tightening around your neck.

And as you stood there, alone in the drowning darkness of your chamber, you couldn’t help but wonder how much longer you could keep this up—how much longer you could pretend that everything was fine when, deep down, you knew that everything was about to fall apart.

The quiet creak of the wooden doors took you away from your thoughts, but you didn’t turn from the window. The night outside was as dark and impenetrable as your own thoughts. You didn’t need to look to know who had entered; Aegon’s footsteps were as familiar to you as the beating of your own heart, an echo of years spent together in a world that seemed increasingly distant now. His scent, a heady mix of wine and something uniquely him, filled the room, bringing with it an uneasy comfort that had long since become part of you since this started.

He approached with a lazy grace, as if the world and all its troubles were mere trifles to him. His arms snaked around your waist, drawing you back against him, his head finding its place on your bare shoulder. The cool night air from the window kissed your skin, but his warmth was a balm you hadn’t realized you’d been seeking. He pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, a fleeting gesture that could be mistaken for affection, followed by a soft chuckle that was as intoxicating as it was disarming.

Aegon was in good spirits tonight, or so it seemed. His presence was magnetic, his charm an irresistible force that pulled you into his orbit despite the undercurrent of dread that always lurked beneath the surface. You knew this tenderness, however sweet, was a precarious thing—a mask that could slip at any moment to reveal the tempest underneath. Yet you leaned into him, seeking solace in the closeness even as it threatened to unravel everything you held together so carefully.

But then, like a gust of wind extinguishing a flame, his smile faded, replaced by a frown that marred his angelic features. You didn’t need to see his face to feel the change, to sense the tension coiling in his body as if he were holding onto something fragile, something that could slip through his fingers and shatter beyond repair.

It was as though he was clutching at a dream, trying to hold onto a world that was slipping away from him. And you, too, were caught in that current, powerless to change the course of the storm that was surely coming. The weight of unspoken words, of a future that neither of you could control.

“You’re far away,” Aegon whispered, his voice barely breaking the stillness that had settled over the room like a heavy shroud.

Before he could say more, you gently took one of his hands, bringing it to your lips and pressing a tender kiss to his knuckles. His skin was warm, soft, since he strayed away from sword training. It felt weird, as though the chasm that had opened between you was something that could not be bridged by mere touch. “I’m tired,” you murmured, the exhaustion lacing your voice with a fragility that felt almost foreign to you. “It’s been a long day.”

Aegon’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze probing as he turned you around with an effortless grace that belied the tension simmering beneath his calm exterior. “What’s on your mind?” he asked, his tone soft yet edged with something darker, an undercurrent of fear, perhaps. His hands lingered on your waist, grounding you, but also anchoring you to him and the chaos that comes with it.

A sad smile tugged at your lips. You searched for the right words, the right way to explain the gnawing dread that had taken root in your heart. It wasn’t your intention to hurt him, but how could you speak the truth without doing so? “I worry,” you confessed, each word heavy with the weight of unspoken fears. “I worry about everything. In fact, I think I often worry enough for the both of us.”

Your words hung in the air, a fragile admission that seemed to echo in the stillness of the chamber. The night was your sanctuary, the time when you could be together without the prying eyes of the Red Keep, even from the Gods, yet even this sacred space was not immune to the growing tension that lay between you. You felt the strain of it, pulling at the threads of your bond, threatening to unravel the delicate balance you had managed to maintain for so long.

Aegon’s expression darkened, his eyes searching yours for something he couldn’t quite grasp. His brow furrowed, as if he were trying to understand a riddle that had no answer, his grip on your waist tightening imperceptibly. “You worry too much,” he said finally, his voice barely masking the frustration that simmered just beneath the surface. “You worry about things that don’t matter, that will never matter”

But the conviction in his voice, once so reassuring, now felt hollow. You could hear the echo of doubts in your mind. How could you tell him that his recklessness, his disregard for the very things that weighed so heavily on your heart, was tearing you apart? How could you make him see that while he was content to drift through life, you were being dragged under by the currents of responsibility, duty, and the looming shadows of what was to come?

Aegon pulled you closer, his hands tight on your waist, but the embrace felt more like a cage than a comfort. “You’re living in a fantasy,” he murmured, his breath warm against your ear. “A fantasy of duty and responsibility that was never meant for us. We’re meant to live, to enjoy what we have, not to worry about what others expect… because we’re never going to be enough”

His words cut deeper than any blade could. Aegon’s indifference to his own fate, his refusal to see the consequences of his actions, was a stark reminder of how different the two of you truly were. He lived for the moment, for the fleeting pleasures that numbed the pain he refused to acknowledge. But you couldn’t escape the weight of the future, the crushing burden of knowing what was expected of you, of him.

“You can’t escape it,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “No matter how hard you try to pretend otherwise, it’s coming for us, Aegon”

“You’re always worrying,” Aegon muttered. “You’re starting to sound like my mother—always telling me what we should be, what we should do, as if we’re some perfect vision of duty.” He sighed deeply, rubbing a hand over his face. “Can you stop making everything so complicated?”

“I’m sorry—” you began, your voice trembling with the weight of your fears. “But I’m afraid, Aegon. It’s terrifying, this situation. Everything… don’t you realize?” You tilted your head, searching his face for any sign that he understood the turmoil that gnawed at your insides.

“We’re alright,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “It’s you who’s making it difficult. You’re the one living in this fantasy—this fantasy of duty and faith, and everything being just— so we don’t repeat the mistakes of those before us. But it’s suffocating.”

You felt the tension coil tighter in your chest, the pressure building as if you were on the edge of a precipice. “Aegon, this isn’t just a fantasy. It’s our reality—our future. The mistakes of the past haunt us because they were real, because they had consequences. We can’t just ignore that.”

"Aegon��" you began, but before you could say another word, he silenced you with a sudden, fevered kiss. His lips crashed against yours with a force that spoke of desperation, the unmistakable taste of wine lingering on his breath. It was typical of him—this reckless need, this hunger that never seemed to be sated. His kiss was all-consuming, a fire that threatened to burn you from the inside out, and though you knew you should resist, his touch was woven so deeply into the fabric of your being that it felt impossible to pull away.

For a moment, you let yourself drown in him, in the way his hands moved up your waist to your back, seeking the laces of your sleep gown with a familiar urgency. But just as quickly, the sole thought of him lost in the arms of strangers, drowning in wine just the night before, flashed through your mind. The memory hit you like a cold wave, pulling you back to the surface of reality, and with a wrenching effort, you pushed him away.

Aegon stared at you, a frown creasing his brow, confusion mingling with the remnants of his frustration.

"Alicent—" you stammered, grasping for anything to say, your voice faltering under the weight of the lie. "She’ll be here early in the morrow," you continued, the words sounding hollow even to your own ears.

He knew it was a lie. You could see it in the way his eyes narrowed, a flicker of anger passing through them, but he said nothing. The silence between you stretched thin, taut with unspoken truths and the ever-widening distance that neither of you could bridge. His frustration, his anger—it wasn’t just at you. It was at everything, at the life he was trapped in, at the expectations that crushed him. But that anger, that resentment, was now directed squarely at you, the one person who had always been his refuge, and yet now felt like just another weight dragging him down.

And you felt your own heart ache with a sorrow that words couldn’t express. You loved him—Gods, how you loved him—but that love was starting to feel like a chain.

Aegon let out a chuckle, the sound tinged with a bitterness that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That never worried you before,” he said, his tone almost mocking.

You held his gaze, your own resolve faltering under the weight of the truth you were about to speak. “Can you imagine what they’ll do to me if they ever find out about us?” you whispered, your voice trembling as you pressed a finger to your chest. “How shame and rage will rain upon me, Aegon?”

“That’s not going to happen,” he replied, his voice firm, dismissive, as if sheer will could bend the world to his desires.

But you shook your head. “There are bigger things than us, Aegon,” you said, your voice soft yet heavy with the burden of inevitability.

He rolled his eyes. “What could happen? My mother asking me to marry you?”

“That’s the best-case scenario,” you admitted, a fleeting hope lingering in your words. “But if she doesn’t want to marry my brother to Helaena, what makes you think she’ll marry me to you, the King’s firstborn son?”

“They’re bastards,” he spat out, a familiar venom in his words.

“—As much as I am,” you whispered back, the words cutting through the air like a blade. “This is going nowhere, Aegon,” you continued before he could respond, your voice filled with resignation.

And yet, despite everything, despite the certainty that this was all leading to ruin, you couldn’t let go. Not of him, not of the love that, for all its flaws and dangers, had become the very blood in your veins. But now, you couldn’t help but wonder if that love was worth the price you were bound to pay; since this affair was doomed from its beginnings.

Aegon’s expression morphed into something indecipherable, a mask of internal conflict as though he was waging a silent war with himself between the urge to remain and the compulsion to escape. His hesitation was palpable, yet ultimately he opted for departure, unwilling to incite another confrontation that would only drive a deeper wedge between you.

“Where are you going?” you demanded, your voice a cold lance piercing through the darkness, laced with fears.

“You clearly need to reconsider things,” he said, his voice firm and filled with resignation. “You’re entangled in this ideal of the perfect daughter, the flawless princess. We’re not going to get what we desire regardless”

“So you’ll leave me alone?” you asked, the weight of the words feeling like a burden on your tongue. And you couldn’t get angry at him for choosing to leave. It almost feels like you pushed him away.

Aegon’s silence was deafening, his only reply a weary exhale. He cast one final, fleeting glance over his shoulder, a look that seemed to carry an entire world of unresolved emotions and discontent. Then, without another word, he turned and slipped out of your chamber with the same quiet stealth as his arrival, leaving you alone with the heavy stillness of your room. The silence that followed was deafening.

You couldn’t imagine a life without him but the day will come — you’ll be betrothed and taken to some place you hate. And he will be betrothed too. That’s how destiny works for all of you.

The same destiny it’s the reason he opted to numb his running mind with wine and prostitutes… once more.

“Rūklun skoriot se bantis rāpa vūjigon tolvie rūklon,” Helaena voice echoes through the small garden. Her tone always dreamy and soft, like a haunting beautiful dream.

You can’t remember when was the first time you both laid on the soft grass; when was the first time she sang for you; when was the first time she entertained you with her bugs. Now her head is laid on your stomach, as she holds a small creature in her hand. Just admiring them, and you’re glad she’s your friend. She does have that capacity of looking beyond, of truly admiring other beings.

She leaves the small bug on the grass, as she continues her soft singing; “Pōnta ȳdragon isse rāpa tolīmorghon, gūrēñagon gīda isse se zōbrie,”

Helaena is equally glad for your friendship, as you understood her. As she felt cared for; she doesn’t feel like she’s the weird girl everyone claims her to be. For her own family doesn’t seem to care so much about her. You both hear tales and stories… whispers, rumors.

When Viserys and Alicent had welcomed their first son, a healthy, silver-haired heir, they had not anticipated the arrival of a second child so soon after Aegon. Though young and aware of her duty to provide the King with heirs to secure the bloodline, Alicent was overwhelmed. Yet, when her weary and anxious eyes met those of her newborn son, a profound sense of tranquility enveloped her. Aegon would grow to be the King’s heir to the throne but Maelor shall be hers. Forever.

Then came the only girl, and the rest… All but one raised in the most hostile ambient a child can grow.

But she had endured, alway pushed aside. Just a princess, whose fate was to get married to some Lord and be exiled away from home. “Jēda, iā lyka dīnagon, pālegīon pōja jaedos ezīmagon iōrves,” She continued with her soft and haunting voice.

Unease began to creep from the pit of your stomach. Helaena’s singing, usually a balm for worries and terrors, now seemed powerless against this overwhelming dread; this was something you feared nothing could shake away.

Strange days were merely the beginning. They would haunt your sleep, echoing in the dark with the lullabies of Targaryens ghosts.

“You’re such a fool—“ A hushed and forced through teeth phrase came out of Helaena’s grandsire; Otto Hightower.

In an instant, your head whipped around, and Helaena sat up. You didn’t need to see to know what the commotion was about—Otto was dragging Aegon toward his chambers, his grip firm and unforgiving. The sight made your stomach churn with fear, casting a shadow over your thoughts. The King’s alleged heir had a way of making your skin crawl. You haven’t seen him in a couple of days after your fight.

She gazed at you, her lips parting only to release the haunting melody: “Pōja istin jehikagrī ēnka sir rāpūltan, isse iā rāpa, lyka nārhēdegon” (Their once bright hues now softened, in a tender, quiet loss).

Soon, the groans and heavy footsteps melded with the birds’ chirping and the distant murmur of voices from the hallways. Yet, the garden remained an isolated enclave, housing only Helaena’s ethereal song and your tumultuous thoughts. A palpable silence descended, compelling you to whip your head toward her.

Alicent’s only daughter was already regarding you with eyes brimming with worry and regret. It was uncommon for her to look at you this way, and the intensity of her gaze sent a shiver down your spine.

“Sealing the bond,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “One will drift away, the other will be chasing phantoms for an eternity” The innocence of her phrase was a dagger to your gut, making you want to retch, as you tasted bile on your tongue. Desperation clawed at you, and you fled, seeking refuge in the only place that could never offer you peace.

The room reeked of stale alcohol and sweat; a reminder of the first and last time you visited an inn. The once repugnant scent was now a grim familiarity. Each morning you arrived early, loyal as a hound and pristine as a dove. But not this morning; delicate petals from the garden were still tangled in your hair. You smell like fresh cut grass. And you’re late.

Aegon lay sprawled on his bed, utterly naked and feigning sleep. He was waiting, because even if he played the role of an idiot, a part of him still cared.

You swallowed hard, “Aegon?” Your voice trembled, a fragile thread of hesitation woven through it. Fear of him was not the issue; it was the looming dread, the haunting sense of something profoundly wrong, lurking just beyond the edges of your understanding.

The mere sight of him being humiliated by any member of his family or by himself was something you’ve become to accept, to make peace with. Aegon hasn’t been on a leash since he was a kid; since his father proclaimed Rhaenyra as his legitimate heir. And so he decided to indulge in the pleasure of the flesh… and alcohol — a sweet but ultimately lethal form of enjoyment. And the fact that he has harbored feelings for you doesn’t even move him into change. Not because of you, but for him. He deserves to be respected and the honor of a house such as the Targaryen. Though, he’s not even respected by his own kin. By his own parents. Viserys was old, probably had an ounce of love for him which burned when he had realized he didn’t need more children to secure the bloodline. His firstborn was still very much alive; even if he was a woman. And Alicent only cherished his twin brother.

Aegon often wondered what it would be like to be the one born looking like a Hightower—instead of being a living reminder to his mother of the sacrifices she had to make, of her stolen childhood, and of every unavenged wound. Would he then be wanted as much as Maelor is? Deep down, he knew it was a futile dream. He tried not to care, but the fear of being crushed under the weight of everyone’s expectations gnawed at him incessantly.

After all, Maelor, has much more of a tender temperament and Aemond’s intellect and wit, which seemed to embody everything Aegon was not. His eyes were a warm, inviting brown, complementing his auburn hair—a perfect reflection of Alicent. He looked human, soft, approachable, and kind. In Aegon’s eyes, Maelor was the epitome of what Alicent desired, a role Aegon could never fulfill.

You dusted off your pale dress, swallowing down your rising frustration and anger. It wasn’t in your nature to be quick to anger, to point the finger, to blame others for their mistakes. But today, his actions felt unbearable. “Do—Do you even care?” Your voice sounded pathetic, a desperate plea for recognition, affection — just to be seen by yout lover.

He didn’t bother opening his eyes. Everything was too bright, too loud for his liking, especially after Otto Hightower’s sermonizing. “Uhm—? Ah, oh,” He yawned, shifting to make himself more comfortable in bed. “Yes, sure.”

His indifference sparked a surge of anger within you, the bile rising to tinge your throat with its bitter taste. “I’m being serious.”

“Don’t speak so loud…” He groaned, dismissive. But he was the one who sought comfort in your arms the last time you saw each other. “You should go, I don’t want any of your services”

It makes your blood seethe, each word from him striking like arrows piercing through your heart. The indignity of being called a whore stings with a venomous edge.

It was always a struggle to engage in conversation with him when he was saturated with the remnants of last night’s excesses. But today felt especially grueling; your patience is unraveling, eroded by the relentless tide of his cruelty.

You approached his bed, standing close enough to block the sunlight that accentuated his handsome features. You wanted to scream, to hit him, hoping that maybe then he would love you, maybe then he would strive to be better and meet your expectations. But Aegon wasn’t a fool; he knew you were the only one who forgave him every single time, without him even trying. Gathering all your courage, you spoke the words that had been festering within you: “You’re pathetic.”

So you think that too? He knew everything couldn’t be perfect. Aegon understood he was doomed, marked by fate’s cruel design. He knows this truth intimately… yet, despite everything, he clings to hope with a desperation that borders on madness. Because you’re the only one seeing him with different and softer eyes.

He can’t think because his mind is flooded with guilt, of everything that happened last night… Of everything he’s ever done to you, whether good or bad. “Go pester Maelor, he looks just like me. I’m sure he can entertain you… Maybe he won’t pleasure you as well as I do. But after all, all whores are the same, I’m sure he won’t mind”

Tears gathered at the corner of your eyes. His cruelty cuts deep, making you question if any of it is worth it—the sacrifices, the hurt, the strange looks, and your bleeding heart. Are they worth the fleeting moments of bliss? He’s capable of loving, and being kind — he has shown you that. Sometimes you like to fool yourself thinking that he actually cares about you, that maybe he thinks you’re more than just a pawn following everything he says… More than just a girl staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes. Thinking maybe, just maybe… he actually sees you.

But it’s the indifference, and his insolent words that creates a wall. One you’re too tired to try and bring it down.

You snort, deciding to play his game, ethough you know it will keep destroying everything. “Maybe I will, Aegon. Maelor has more honor in his little finger than you’ll ever have. You just wallow in your own filth.”

You speak with distaste, the words hurting you as much as they hurt him, because they come from a place of anger, a vengeful side you despise. It makes you want to throw up; the mere idea to succumb into your rage.

You turned around, unable to bear looking at him. If you meet his eyes, you’ll collapse under the weight of your own emotions and beg for forgiveness, even though it’s not your fault. You just wanted to make amends. “Do you know you’re throwing everything away, Aegon?” you ask, your voice trembling with the weight of despair. You don’t expect an answer. He already knows.

“I’ve been on my knees, begging for some kind of forgiveness from the Gods, for even the slightest hint of their consideration,” you whispered, your voice trembling under the weight of raw, unrestrained anguish. “Yet you persist in pushing me away. I’m on the brink, exhausted, uncertain if I have anything left to offer. I’ve sacrificed so much, endured countless trials for you, and now you cast me aside as if I were nothing.”

Each word was a dagger, cutting through the fragile silence with a bitter clarity. The raw pain in your voice seemed to resonate through the cold stone walls, echoing the deep fissures in your heart.

Unable to sustain the crushing burden of your sorrow, you turned abruptly and fled the room, covering your face and red rimmed eyes with your hands. The guards who opened the gates offered no solace, their stony expressions betraying no empathy. The heavy silence of the Red Keep was a stark contrast to the turmoil within you. You knew Aegon’s chambers were a sanctuary at this hour, shielded from the prying eyes of the court, save for the ever-watchful presence of Alicent.

“Princess,” a voice cut through your despair. You halted abruptly, your heart sinking as you recognized the only Hightower-looking son of Alicent. His eyes were filled with a mixture of curiosity and pity — not like he cared about you.

“Alicent is looking for you,” he said, his tone imbued with a sense of quiet urgency.

You lowered your hands, exposing your tear-stained face. The pain was a palpable force, constricting your throat and making it difficult to speak.

“Did Aegon do something to you?” he asked, his concern etched into every word, but the shy smirk betrayed him — not that you would catch it.

“No—no,” you choked out, shaking your head as if to dispel the crushing weight of your emotions. “I’m just—” The words faltered, it was not only pointless but dangerous to explain. “Where’s Alicent?”

— next chapter

[bogleech]

MY DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS THREAD

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is the first DQM game I've ever gotten to play after admiring the series since childhood. The bad news is that it leaves out exactly the three DQ monsters I love most. The good news is that everything else about it is great. I've been taking regular screenshots as I play and I am going to start adding things about it to this post, so it is going to get long. First of all here are exactly my next three favorite monsters in the franchise, which they fortunately did include, and were all available to me by almost the first area:

"Mad Mollusk" or in other dq games "taileater" is great because it has a sad flabby slug face at one end and a fanged leech mouth at the other end. When it uses magic, it reveals giant eyeballs in its antennae somehow?! Love how big the "carnivorous" mouth gets in the attack animation. What a stretchy guy!

"Lunatick" is just called "meda" (eye) in Japanese, I'm glad they decided it was like a parasite thing in the localization.

Finally there's DROHL, a classic DQ enemy that looks like...well I'm not gonna say what it really looks like but I think it's a cool little freak unrelated to that and I think it talks exactly like Droopy dog. Oddly it's known as a "Drohl DRONE," and I believe there are other "castes" in other DQ games, but only the "drones" are in this one sadly. I've yet to find this in the wild; I got it through the breeding system!

....Which is by far the most addicting thing about this game. The actual gameplay is good solid turn based RPG stuff, if a bit basic, but every monster can be bred with another monster to unlock a slew of other species. This is one of the first games in which they actually call it a "fusion" system now, I guess dropping the word "breed" from the English localization, but all other in-game dialog still calls these the 'parents' and 'offspring' and even makes jokes that they're getting married, so yeah, it's still breeding. What happens when you breed a slime with someone's dead grandpa??

.....There are multiple monsters you can get from that, but one of them, and the one that makes the most sense, is Slimeshroom! This is a new DQ slime that's some fungus! What's also fun is that every monster has up to three skills, and each skill actually unlocks a ton of spells, attacks, boosts and effects as you spend skill points on them. Then when you breed two monsters, you can give the baby any three skills from the parents. Any at all! I used this to make my Slimeshroom both a healer and a fire mage in the early game. This catches you up with the same progress I talked about when I first got the game almost two months ago so here's some things that have happened since:

I bred a flying cat and a vampire chinchilla to get a.....sexy bat??

I helped a fat rat - that's the name of his species - rescue his son

I bred a people ghost with a lamp ghost to get a bag of dirt!

I fought this bastard giraffe man who called an elderly wizard a "naughty boy" and put him in candy jail.

"Duffer" from the Giraffe quest is also best friends with Eileen the eye demon, and when you rescue him, they become your loyal subjects! BAD NEWS: this entire game is actually a prequel to Dragon Quest 4, and the player character of this game is the villain of Dragon Quest 4. Duffer and Eileen are also in Dragon Quest 4. They die :( .......Maybe this game gives you a chance to fix that future??? I don't know.

[themissingnumbers]

WARNING: FLASHING/GLITCHING IMAGE UNDER THE CUT. This also contains descriptions of gore and body horror.

[ @pkmn-monochrome - Previously... ]

Red narrows his eyes as he stares down at Cody, shutting up and listening as they explain. The corners of his lips twitch as they finish, the shadow cast over his eyes falling ever so slightly heavier.

"... So, that's how it is, hm?"

"Barely... any different..."

"... Exactly what I..."

"..."

"I've gotta say, you've really got a way with words! You're so articulate when you're scared, Cody."

He snickers to himself, hopping off the grave and pacing around, looking between the other and the Ghosts.

"Observant, too~! You're right, I really couldn't be bothered to care what you think of me. I'm not exactly here to make friends. I'm sure that'd the last thing you'd want, anyways! See, I'm just here to satiate some curiosity."

He leans in front of Blastoise, tilting his head.

"I would like to formally apologize to the oversized Sobble-in-a-shell for my language. I'm not exactly used to being around others... Twenty-six years of imprisonment wouldn't really teach a guy to have a filter, heh."

He waves a hand nonchalantly, completing the circle.

"And as for your marketable figurine of a rat, well... I'm not interested in being a snotty kid forever. Unfortunately, I don't need any hacking done to screw up my game badly enough to change some things around.

But, hey... I'm not here to make chit-chat with a couple of one-note monsters. It's all about you, the most REAL one in this room. Cody, Cody, Cody, star of the show~! Let's get back to the point. I know you don't exactly think highly of... things like me. What was it you told that one poor girl- 'You've had more than a decade to get over yourself,' right?"

He throws his head back, cackling as if the old remark is the funniest thing he's heard in his life.

"I meant it when I said that I don't CARE. But I AM nosy, and your vitriol towards REDs in particular is just so interesting... Even seein' the face clearly strikes a nerve. So honestly, I'd LOVE to hear EXACTLY what you're thinking..."

"If only you were willing to spit out any fighting words, that is! But you've been so much more polite than I expected, after all the reading I've done..."

He passes by in front of the other, looking off into the distance.

In that moment- a moment of passing footsteps, of the blink of an eye, of a lack of care... something heavy fills the air.

A damning presence looks down on Cody with a dozen eyes, countless mouths, gnashing teeth and twitching claws, two hundred and fifty-five whispering voices. It's a disgusting and shambling creature, a sick and unholy patchwork of amalgamated hearts and yellowed blood, wrapped up in tattered flesh and backwards fur, mismatched feathers and scales and blubber and skin. Writhing, wheezing, bleeding, rotting, every misplaced piece existing out of sync.

Something impossible. Unknowable. Invalid.

The feeling it imposes upon them is suffocating. Like not breathing for years, like something vile filling their lungs, a sickness that is rising, thrashing, tearing, desperate for a taste of "fresh meat" if one could even call a dead trainer that anymore.

"It almost seems like there's something you're worried about," the voices from within it hiss, layered countless times under the casual and teasing tone of Red's own that is lost under the madness...

... Yet the instant the words spill from his lips, that awful sensation is gone as quickly as it arrived. Everything is as it should be. Despite how intense it was... It was little more than two seconds of some sick kind of illusion.

Was it even real? Was that pain all false? Red hasn't lifted a finger, no less even looked Cody's way.

It's as if nothing even happened.

"I wonder, I wonder, what it could be~?" the man babbles on as he walks away, feigning ignorance- because he must be, he must be screwing around with them at this point, right? How could he NOT be?

And now he's laughing- giggling to himself under his breath, like this whole ordeal is some joke that only he's in on.

"After all, I'm just some harmless little video game character. I'm not even real, right?" he chides, "Certainly nothing like one of your big bad players who could crush your shoddy little cartridge cause you decided to be a little bi..."

He trails off, managing to catch himself.

"... Decided to misbehave. What, you don't think I hold any real power over this place, do you~? I can't cause..."

"... Permanent damage."

He slows to a stop several paces away from the monochromatic trainer, spinning on his heel to look at them with a smile that could be described as warm, but...

From heart, to flesh, to grin- there's not a single warm thing about this man in this moment. Only proven further by a final remark, laced with a threatening kind of curiosity.

"So would you like to stop trying to play nice and tell me what you really think of me... Or are you gonna let me get bored?"

[rpstartersinc]

* 𝐀 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄: 𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄.

feel free to change pronouns / wording!

" you are dawdling! "

" i'll show you i'm not a child anymore. "

" you are much faster than i am. "

" this grass will keep you hidden if you stay low. "

" what devilry is this? "

" the forest is out of bounds until further notice. "

" we must have sinned something rotten to be punished so. "

" the smell of your cooking warms the heart. "

" you know you are not supposed to be here. "

" did he talk? "

" i don't have time to play games. "

" think it's funny making me run like that? "

" you'll get nothing out of me! "

" you're going to get us killed! "

" i'm not scared of dying you know. "

" be sure to stay in the light. "

" they ate him! "

" try not to look. "

" we can't do anything for them now. "

" the air... it's burning my throat... "

" they are not going to catch us, alright? "

" you should hide, it's dangerous. "

" when a rat bites you it poisons your blood. "

" maybe there's a monster in it. "

" it's not good to be alone. "

" you're just like all the others! "

" you're no fun. "

" you're lucky i like gold better than blood. "

" the better you look, the higher the ransom. "

" that's war for you. "

" i'm making your rescue profitable. "

" i've had enough of running. "

" he's going to slaughter us! "

" there's nowhere for you to go out there. "

" don't get all lovey-dovey. "

" you trying to impress me or what? "

" don't worry, we're all scared of what's in our heads. "

" try to be a bit more enthusiastic, will you? "

" use your eyes before using your mouth. "

" i would quite like to see a monster, actually. "

" i just don't like water much, that's all. "

" i'm sorry i lied to you. "

" a good remedy is a remedy that stinks. "

" the storm will drown out our voices. "

" you've read too many books. "

" you were having a bad dream... "

" brothers... sometimes you just want to kill them. "

" the first rule of survival is hit 'em between the legs. "

" that sound... you never get used to it. "

" i don't want to hear another peep out of you. "

" you have no idea how i have suffered. "

" i might've got a little carried away. "

" when you enter a place that has been abandoned for a very long time, there's something in the air. "

" i'm here with you. "

" it's like a river... a river of rats. "

" we haven't done all this for nothing. "

" what will be will be. "

" it's as if it was decided that ever since we met our lives have been governed by chaos! "

" none of this seems to be real at all. "

" you're not sleeping? "

" you're going to tell me about rules? "

" a child never runs away without a reason. "

" it is easy to spill blood, but to love, to protect... "

" they didn't hurt you, did they? "

" this is no place for a child. "

" nobody saw me. "

" your rank should make you more cautious. "

" you are a vile heretic driven mad by power. "

" we have the same goal. "

" this guard was devoured... "

" they use our dead to build their nests? "

" you wouldn't like it out there, believe me. "

" for the last time, will you answer my questions? "

" no one will hurt you now. "

" this is not a game. "

" you are a monster! "

" you don't have a home anymore! "

" i'm ready to die, it will even be an honour. "

" the rats will be coming, we need to light the fires. "

" i have to accept that he won't be coming back. "

" you're like a hero from a book or something. "

" i thought you said this place was secure! "

" we got that bastard! "

" you lied to me! "

" you are no longer any use to me. "

" my blade is still warm, as you will soon find out. "

" since you refuse to go to hell, i shall bring hell to you. "

" i'll tear them apart! "

" i wish i was strong like that. "

" you're a tough guy, tougher than i am. "

" i can't take any more of these bloody rats! "

" thank you for your candour. "

" calm down... it's over. "

" you want to try your hand at shooting? "

" we just don't want any trouble here, do you understand? "

" that's not true... but it doesn't matter. "

[nihiltism]

YIPPEE okay so I do have a whole propaganda post abt it I can probably dig up but the base line is that mad rat dead is a rhythm based 2d platfomer where you play as a dead rat given one last day to chase after whatever last wish he wants to achieve before he dies. the rhythm aspect is that each movement correlates to your rat's heartbeat (his heart is a key character, by the way! he's also very cute I really like him) and the in-game music is kind of. an auditory hallucination I guess. kinda like crypt of the necrodancer if youve played that. eh don't think abt the lore too hard anyway the point is that the gameplays really unique, and though it can be a bit confusing to focus on the hand-ear-eye coordination at first the game's main gimmick actually helps with that (and makes it Much more accessible to newbies). it only takes one hit to kill you in this game, but when you die all it does is gives you the option to rewind however many beats you want before that death. so, it gives you enough attempts to trial-and-error it that it feels really satisfying to memorize how to deal with stage layouts!! also because of that it's kind of hard to lose a level in mrd, it is time-based and you lose time off your clock when you rewind but it usually takes a Lot of rewinds to get to 0. on my first run of the game I only lost two levels and they were the final two. there is an easy mode that completely nullifies the clock though!! there's also a hard mode which takes the steady beats from normal and adds three-counts that fit the song a lot more snugly and it is Hard to start but they feel a lot more satisfying when you memorize the beat patterns. also the plot is sweet!! I can't talk much about it but it's very focused on character interactions between your two main characters (mad rat and his heart) and it Is a decent story overall. also the aesthetics Slap if u can't already tell and the music is. so good. it's got a Bunch of rhythm game composers like a_hisa and camellia as well as a good handful of songs from dyes iwasaki (of fake type if you know them!). honestly it's one of the few games to me that I believe has No bad tracks, but I maaay link some favorites.

aaand one gameplay video to show how it plays. though I'll note this one's on hard mode, normally it doesn't have the red notes, so it's a good indicator of what hard mode is like too.

my last note is that mad rat dead does have a free demo!! it's got the whole first chapter of the game in both normal and hard mode which is 5 whole levels (a pretty decent chunk of really good songs!)

though I will also note that the game (even the demo) has a Ton of cartoon gore and body horror so do watch out for that if you're sensitive to that kinda stuff!

scampering into your asks. do you want to Learn about mad rat dead. definitely not because I'm hyperfixated at all and Definitely not because I love selling people on games I like. :3c

oH ABSOLUTELY YESYES!! >:D I looked a little bit when I first saw the art because it looked interesting, and I think it's pretty neato >,3c

we shake hands when it comes to hyperfixations and you're def welcome to talk about it!! :DD

[foxalade]

"Normalise naming your kid after something you love"

Okay.

Hello, Harry Potter's dead dad and his gay friends, specifically the gay godfather and his gay werewolf boyfriend, SPECIFICALLY in that one scene "Finally the flesh reveals the madness within" "well you would know all about the madness within, wouldn't you Remus?" and then they hug, AND the scene in which someone calls them an old married couple (they are) AND the scene that's like "Sirius sit down" and Sirius SITS. But also said gay godfathers little evil brother who is SO gay and cunty, and definitely had a fat crush on said Father. BUT ALSO the cool ginger Mum who marries said father and they die to protect their son. AND the mum's cool friends who would have been amazing aunts if they hadn't died. AND ALSO all of the stories that have been written about these gay, dead, cool-ass wizards and witches, in which they are cool and gay, play in the hunger games, Fuck priest, and Live happily ever after. Oh, and I suppose the rat is okay too.

[lilydalexf]

hi! do you know of any fics where mulder or scully (i think this fits either of them well) ask the other "can i kiss you?" ? its my favourite fic "trope" but i think ive only found one xf fic that does it and i cant even remember it, please help!

Thank you for this ask! I have (many) older asks I maybe should've answered first, but it was very fun compiling this rec list of fics where one of Mulder and Scully asks the other "Can I kiss you?" Enjoy! Anamorphosis by Megan Reilly Assigned to find a horrifying serial murderer, Agent Scully discovers things about herself and her past that she never suspected. City of Light by Bonetree On the run through the American Southwest, Scully and Mulder flee the shadowy forces of Owen Curran and Padden's government agents, who threaten their freedom and their lives. On the way, they must also struggle with their own demons, which threaten to tear them apart. (Part of the Goshen universe) Eleventh Hour by Rachel Anton Some feeling defy the confines of time. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Jenna Tooms Scully comes to Mulder with a wound only he can heal. general conundrums by @intrepidment Nonsense fluff. Impulse by Suzanne Schramm Mulder and Scully investigate some strange doings in a little town where people seem to have no control over their actions. Let's Bee Together by @baronessblixen Set during IWTB: Scully comes home from the hospital to find a bored and restless Mulder has picked up an interesting new hobby: apiculture. Little Notes by aRcaDIaNFall$ Mulder and Scully are bored in a meeting and start passing notes... The Mad Physicist & The Lab Rat by littlemisfit5290 (@alittlemissfit) "Who said I was even going to the party?” “I said you are if you plan on knowing whether I dressed up as a sexy alien or that beast woman.” MSR, pre IWTB, Halloween fluff. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Baroness_Blixen (@baronessblixen) For the first time ever, the FBI is doing a secret Santa exchange. But what do you do when you're not paired with the only person you can imagine exchanging gifts with? You do everything in your power to rig the game. Nuptiae Sub Rosa by SisterSpooky1013 and XFMaweezy (@sisterspooky1013 and @xfmaweezy) A series of canon-compliant missing scenes showing that some dynamics of Mulder and Scully’s relationship may have changed much earlier than previously thought. radiant by kittenscully (@kittenscully) Under normal circumstances, her vulnerability would shock him. But things are different now, the shift tectonic and undeniable. He owes her the same trust that she’s showing him. Saying the Words by Karen Rasch Mulder and Scully finally confront their feelings for the first time. (Part of the Words series) Tender Intent by A.I. Irving When Scully returns to work after recovering from her illness, Mulder discovers that she isn't quite the changed woman she claims to be. Untitled by @baronessblixen “I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.” / “Why do you only kiss me when I’m sleeping?” Untitled by @broadcastnews1987 a “what if one breath never happened au.” Untitled by @msrafterdark scully puts the moves on mulder post-millennium. What Happens In Vegas (Sometimes Finds Its Way Into Official Documents) by tiredmoonlight (@myshipsintheharbor) When some interesting news about the marital status of two agents finds its way to back to the FBI, questions are raised, the main one being that the agents don't actually remember getting married. While You Were Sleeping by Skinfull Mulder falls for an intoxicating red head he spots in the park, then saves her life but not before she is injured and put into a coma, then he meets her sister! Den den dehhhhhh! Seraphim by chekcough (@chekcough) After Mulder returns from the dead, Scully tries to pick up the pieces. AU, with Mulder/Scully relationship pre-established after FTF. Implied character suicide.

[bijouxcarys]

Beautiful boys. I love them to death.

Brian is so 😍😍😍

I highly recommend, if you haven’t already, going through their discography—beginning to end. ( @celestial-dragoness I’m looking at you girl) There are some real gems stashed away in there that don’t get enough attention. Here’s some:

Great King Rat (Queen, 1973)

Liar (Queen, 1973)

Modern Times Rock n Roll (Queen, 1973)

White Queen (As It Began) (Queen II, 1974)

Some Day, One Day (Queen II, 1974)

The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (Queen II, 1974)

Nevermore (Queen II, 1974)

The March Of The Black Queen (Queen II, 1974)

Flick of the Wrist (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

Lily of the Valley (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

In The Lap of the Gods (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

Bring Back That Leroy Brown (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

Seaside Rendezvous (A Night At The Opera, 1975)

‘39 (A Night At The Opera, 1975)

Drowse (A Day At The Races, 1976)

The Millionaire Waltz (A Day At The Races, 1976)

Long Away (A Day At The Races, 1976)

All Dead, All Dead (News of the World, 1977)

Mustapha (Jazz, 1978)

Let Me Entertain You (Jazz, 1978)

Sail Away, Sweet Sister (The Game, 1980)

Dancer (Hot Space, 1982)

Back Chat (Hot Space, 1982)

Cool Cat (Hot Space, 1982)

Put Out The Fire (Hot Space, 1982)

It’s A Hard Life (The Works, 1984)

Machines (Or ‘Back To Humans’) (The Works, 1984)

Princes of the Universe (A Kind of Magic, 1986)

Don’t Lose Your Head (A Kind of Magic, 1986)

One Year of Love (A Kind of Magic, 1986)

Was It All Worth It (The Miracle, 1989)

Breakthru (The Miracle, 1989)

Scandal (The Miracle, 1989)

The Invisible Man (The Miracle, 1989)

Headlong (Innuendo, 1991)

Bijou (Innuendo, 1991)

Innuendo (Innuendo, 1991)

I Can’t Live With You (Innuendo, 1991)

I’m Going Slightly Mad (Innuendo, 1991)

Let Me Live (Made in Heaven, 1995)

Made in Heaven (Made in Heaven, 1995)

Mother Love (Made in Heaven, 1995)

Too Much Love Will Kill You (Made in Heaven, 1995) — though I recommend Brian’s solo version. I prefer that to the Queen version.

And remember… if you ever listen through their discography, make sure it’s chronological. Beginning to end.

And also… if you’re interested in context around certain songs or what was going on at the time… I’m your gal.

If I were on mastermind, Queen would be my special subject.

[book--brackets]

Codebearers by The Miller Brothers (2008-2010)

After one of his infamous pranks backfires, Hunter unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient book and key. Little does he know the mysterious book is a gateway to Solandria, a supernatural realm held captive by the Shadow. In Solandria, Hunter joins forces with the Codebearers, a band of highly trained warriors who form the Resistance to the Shadow. But before he can complete his training in the ways of the Code of Life, Hunter is sent on a mission far more dangerous than he ever bargained for. Now with his life in peril and the future of Solandria hanging in the balance, Hunter is headed for a showdown with the Shadow and a battle to save his soul from a fate worse than death! Is Hunters knowledge of the Code deep enough to uncover the secret of the Shadow, or will the truth be more than he can bear?

Merovingen Nights by C. J. Cherryh (1985-1991)

Merovin, the world the C. J. Cherryh built, a low-tech, inhospitable planet where the human survivors of a colony nearly destroyed by an enigmatic alien menace still dwell, salvaging what they can, while awaiting the return of the alien menace or rediscovery by the Terrans who abandoned them in that long-ago terror.

And in Merovingen, the fantastic canal city, where the wealthy and powerful reside in the highest towers, and beggars, spies, thieves and boaters like Altair Jones ply the highly polluted interlacing waterways below, intrigue, thievery and revolution are the very breath of life. And now with the Festival of Scouring approaching, C. J. Cherryh has invited some of today's finest writers into Merovignen, to weave together this tale of Festival Moon, a time of mystery and murder, of power games both high and low, a Festival after which this world will never be quite the same again...

Dragonlance: The New Adventures by Tim Waggoner (2004-2008)

Nearra does not know who she is or where she lives, but she does know one thing: someone wants her dead. Her only hope lies leagues away, in an ancient temple, where healing clerics may be able to restore her memory.

A helpful young ranger, a failed warrior, a sneaky elf, and a kender wizard offer to accompany Nearra on her journey. She soon learns her newfound friends have secrets of their own. As goblins, an angry minotaur, and a vicious green dragon attempt to stop them at every turn, friendships are tested and all of if may come to ruin from the one Nearra trusts the most.

Creature Court by Tansy Rayner Roberts (2010-2018)

A war is being fought in the skies over the city of Aufleur. No one sees the battles. No one knows how close they come to destruction every time the sun sets.

During daylight, all is well, but when nox falls and the sky turns bright, someone has to step up and lead the Creature Court into battle.

Twelve years ago, Garnet kissed Velody and stole her magic. Five years ago, he betrayed Ashiol, and took his powers by force. But now the Creature Court is at a crossroads … they need a Power and Majesty who won’t give up or lose themselves in madness …

Spellbound by Vivian Vande Velde (1997-1998)

Welland was less than a slave. Slaves are human, and he was wolf, allowed to assume human form only when it suited the sorceress Daria.

Daria kept an army of changelings — mostly wolf but some lynx or weasel, a bear or two, and at least one rat. She used them to hunt and kill. And sometimes to pretend to be human, so she could pretend to be a lady.

Weiland hated the lie almost as much as he hated the truth. Then he met a burglar, a thief named Shile, who offered to help him steal what he had never owned. His own troubled soul...

Welkin Weasels by Garry Kilworth (1997-2003)

Long ago, long before Sylver the weasel was born, the humans all left Welkin. Now life for a weasel—under the heavy paw of the vicious stoat rulers—is pretty miserable (unless you happen to be a weasel who likes living in a hovel and toiling all hours for the benefit of the stoats).

It's certainly not enough for Sylver. Or for his small band of outlaws, both jacks and jills. but slingshots and darts can only do so much against heavily-armed stoats and life as an outlaw has a fairly limited future (probably a painful one, too). That's when Sylver comes up with his plan—a heroic plan that could destroy the stoats' reign of power for ever. He will find the humans, and bring them back to Welkin! And the first step is to follow up a clue from the past—a clue that lies in a place known as Thunder Oak...

Evergreen by Devin Greenlee (2024)

All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. Flowers, plants, the generations-old garden. What he wouldn’t give for a taste of the outside world. Normalcy. But his mom won’t let him out of the house, telling him he’s just not ready…

All because he’s a dryad. Well, not just any dryad, but a male dryad—the first ever. And unlike everyone else in his family, he hasn’t a lick of magic. Just a shock of green hair, matching green eyes, and a growing frustration that there’s an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. Until the night when the outside world—specifically his new neighbor—discovers him.

Liam Watson lives in a culture filled with electronics, mobile devices, and social media—where there is no magic or even the belief in it. And as much as Quill finds Liam irritating (he’s so cute it’s annoying), he can’t help himself.

Now Quill’s getting a taste of the outside world and of Liam…and he wants more. But all is not well in this magical, urban garden, and someone—or something—is changing the very essence of it.

And wherever Quill goes, the danger grows…

Unicorns of the Mist by R. R. Russell (2013-2014)

Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.

Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for "troubled" girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible — someone who needs her. Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.

A baby unicorn.

Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island's mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig's to care for. That she needs Twig's love and protection. Because there's something out there in the deep, dense shadows that's hunting for them...

Chronicles of Avilesor by Sara A. Noe (2020-2021)

Cato is the only true half-human, half-ghost hybrid in existence. He's powerful and unique with two divine powers instead of one.

The United States government believes he is the key to developing a devastating weapon that will give humankind an advantage when war inevitably erupts between the Human Realm and Avilésor, the Ghost Realm.

After being an unwilling test subject in Project Alpha for two years, Cato and the rest of his "lab-family" survive a transport accident to find themselves stranded and powerless in the middle of the wilderness. Hunted every step of the way by ghostly Shadow Guards with supernatural abilities and human Agents desperate to recapture their prisoners, the eight young fugitives are drawn to Cato's hometown where the Rip between Realms connects the worlds.

Cato wants nothing to do with his past, but as his enemies close in, he realizes he's willing to do anything to protect his lab-family . . .

. . . even kidnap the daughter of a ghost hunter and make a dangerous deal to become a mercenary.

Knights of Liofwende by Garry Kilworth (2002-2004)

Faerieland. It's like a reflection of your world... a warped reflection. And Jack has just stumbled right into it - with a whole lot of trouble on his tail. Trolls, goblins, ogres and giants ... all after one thing. But Jack's got no clue what. He needs some allies, like now. A wizard maybe. Or a High Fairy. Someone who can do serious magic. Someone who can help him get home. Anyone. Just not a dreamy young boggart named Spiggot...

[worstvideogamesong-poll]

Worst Video Game Song Tournament - Round 1 Match 19

Versus - Sonic Eraser

VERSUS

Neo-Opportunist - Mad Rat Dead

FIGHT!

I would recommend listening to as much as you can of each song before voting, but how you choose is up to you! Remember to be civil in the tags and replies!

Propaganda under cut:

Versus:

"It sounds like if the worst migraine ever to exist could speak."

Neo-Opportunist:

"who put this sonic song in my rat game. sorry I've never liked this song. too much going on at once. overwhelms me. sorry if this is your favorite MRD song but this song gives me anxiety. sorry"

Feel free to add more propaganda in the tags and replies, or send it to me in the ask box and I'll try to share it as soon as I can!

[justiceforfoxface]

I Should’ve Drowned: Finnick Odair x Gender-Neutral Reader

*so: this is very canon-divergent, reader is gender-neutral and mentions having a district partner who I also tried to keep gender-neutral*

possible tw for drowning, if you didn’t read the title

925 words

I know I have no chance in the Quarter Quell. I won my Games purely by chance, by being quiet and hiding until the last cannon went off. In the Quell, I’ve resigned myself to death, especially seeing as I lacked several basic life skills. It takes me several minutes to tie a simple knot, and I can’t even swim.

But my name was pulled from District Nine’s (very small) pool of tributes, and I was taken back to the Capitol.

Now, I’m standing here, as the clock ticks down to zero, surrounded by tributes much stronger and faster and taller than me. I must look like a stick figure to them.

Then, the clock starts, and the Games begin.

My first instinct is to run, because that’s how I survived last time. So I turn and sprint away from the madness at the cornucopia. Everything is water, I notice as I run. One wrong move and I trip, fall, and most likely die. 

Lucky me.

I hear screams, bloodthirsty screams and screams of pain, and then I hear cannons. Two already. Three. Four.

How are these victors dying so fast?

A spark of guilt emerges in me when I remember my district partner, Arley. I just ditched them for my own survival. But while they’re not very fast, they’re pretty big, and strong. They’ll make it at least through the night, and then I’ll try and find them in the morning.

Then, a huge weight comes crashing down on me, and I fall to the ground, face-first. There’s another tribute on top of me, holding a bloodied knife, ready to split my skull in half. I try to wiggle out from under them, but if they caught up to me, they must be pretty fast. No matter what I do, I’m going to be dead in minutes. Might as well take my attacker with me.

So I push myself sideways, and roll into the water, my attacker losing their grip on me and falling in as well. In a matter of seconds, their head rises above the water and they climb out easily.

That was a stupid idea.

I try to stay afloat, but all I’m doing is flapping my arms desperately, and if I were to make it out of the water, I’d just get stabbed. So I stop trying. 

The cold water fills my lungs almost instantly, weighing me down and pulling me further and further into it. I suddenly feel bad for anyone who’s ever drowned, or come close to it, because this is terrifying. 

I have to remind myself that this is what I want. I want to die, and I want to drown. So I close my eyes, and try to slow my breathing, and let the water take me.

…….

Everything’s blurry when I sit up, and the sky is dark and cloudy. It’s nighttime. I should probably go find someplace to hide-

How did I survive?

I drowned. I made sure of that. And here I am, my clothes damp and sticky against my skin, my hair matted to the sides of my face and almost covering my eyes. I sit up, and pain prickles against my back. I was leaning against a tree.

I try to open my mouth, but all that comes out is a coughing fit and some water. I look around, and then I see it. The flickering of a fire coming from not too far away. And not a big fire. More like a fire you’d cook food over. 

I stand up slowly, my legs and arms shaking. On my way over to the fire, I lean against whichever tree is nearest, shifting most of my weight to the side I’m using to lean.

In just under a minute, I reach the fire. 

No one’s there.

The trees rustle, and a young man with tan skin, blonde hair, and emerald-green eyes comes out from between them, holding a dead rat I assume he means to cook.

“You’re awake,” he simply says, and then sits down by the fire and places the rat over it. 

I know who this is. Finnick Odair. Won his Games at fourteen. Did he save me? 

“I should’ve drowned,” I manage to say, still leaning against a tree. 

“Well, you didn’t,” he says, flashing a quick smile at me. “You’re welcome.”

“Why did you save me?” I ask, sinking down to the ground and crossing my legs to sit by the fire. I figure he’s not going to kill me if he saved me from drowning, or, not yet anyways.

“You’ve won the Games,” Finnick says.

“Everyone here has,” I say, still confused. “I’m not any different.”

“You won your Games by being quiet,” he clarifies. “By hiding. And I figure that would make you a useful ally.”

I stare at him. “You want…me…as an ally?”

Finnick Odair, the Finnick Odair, wants me as an ally. The person who got a three at the training center, the person who can’t swim and won their Games by luck, is supposed to be a good ally.

“Yeah,” he says, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world to understand. “Also, I just saved your life, so I think you owe me at least a partnership.”

“Okay,” I say. I’m not going to argue. If I’m allied with Finnick Odair, my chances of survival will shoot up.

He extends his hand. “Partners?”

My hand’s still slightly sticky from almost drowning, but I reach out and shake his hand anyways. “Partners.”

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: A sad, sad cognitive psientist irreparably changes a rat. This story follows the ensuing consequences. For my Mad Rat Dead fans: This is my attempt at growing the fandom. I Love MRD, and I want more people to enjoy its characters and music. Speaking of music -- you might want to check out the titles and creators I throw in. If you ever get bored, that is. Also, you don't need to know Persona5 to enjoy this! So please, sit back and enjoy the show. For my Persona5 and Persona5Royal fans: P5R has been rotting in my skull for... over a year, at this point. I love it, flaws and all, and I want to connect the loose threads that could've led to so much more. You don't need to know Mad Rat Dead to enjoy this story -- just know that Maruki is very, very sorry. If anything seems like a re-cap of P5R, please just speed-read or straight-up skip that section. And for my outside readers: I hope this leaves you entertained. Don't worry, you don't need to know much about either game -- but if you ever get interested, I'm not stopping you from checking them out.

Author: Vessel_Fox

Note from submitter: I will defend Mad Rat to the Death <3