#PLA-ish story

[ashestoshadows]

Just In Their Nature

Hello my peeps~ First thing i've wrote which features PLA, kinda, nothing really happens besides my character nearly dying due to her dumb mistake of capturing a very deadly Alpha.

(Image credits go to イマット, and was just inspired to write this because of that image)

(And Content Warnings! big things/creatures, nearly implied death/vore, and garchomp)

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

It appeared the newest recruit had big news! She caught an alpha, but what was the Alpha? You had no real clue and you were anxiously awaiting the female to walk through that door as the leader, Cyllene, was writing stuff down on paper. The scratching could be heard throughout the room and you anxiously looked at your Luxio who was purring against your leg trying to calm you down as you sighed, carefully petting their small head thanking them silently.

A noise could be heard outside the door and you were about to walk closer to listen to what was going on but *Creak* the door slightly cracked open as you watched in horror to see the most feared Alpha you were aware of… A Garchomp.

She caught an Alpha Garchomp!? Your heart began racing far too fast imagining what horrors could happen. Your Luxio quickly ran over, leaping onto your arms peeking through the door before shrieking in surprise and horror, your Luxio knew what to fear and knew too well that this 9 ft Pokemon was dangerous. And absolutely terrifying. A loud roar ripped through the whole building as you jumped back, your Luxio still barely in your arms as Cyllene quickly ran over "Y/N! You okay?" she asked, her eyes relatively wide as you barely nodded. Your Luxio shaking and mewling in your arms cowering in fear.

Cyllene quickly dashed out to see the monstrosity outside in the lobby of the building, after you calmed down to see Reynard  with an Alpha nearby. You saw the white haired female trying to calm the Captain as you barely wobbled into the area, your Luxio nervously trailing behind you. Keeping a weary and scared eye on the Mach Pokemon who noticed the small kitten Pokemon and lunged at it,  although thankfully the Pokemon appeared to be a female due to the lack of a notch on their dorsal fin and fortunately your Luxio's was a female as well. The reason that even matters is sometimes they'll only attack Pokemon of certain genders and ignore the other entirely unless provoked.

The dragon gave a quick lick on the face to the kitten who trembled under the dragons intense golden gaze, Luxio or as you loving sometimes called Luxy, ran over to you and hid inside your arms understandably trembling. "Calm down! She's fine, see?" the Garchomp stood right beside her trainer and you felt your mouth fall open, terrified and in awe at the huge size of that creature who stood next to what was the Galaxy teams sky-fallen conversation starter. Ever since you were introduced to Reynard you felt a strong bond with her, almost like she was your sister, scared she'd get murdered by an Alpha or die from a huge height but thankfully that never seemed to happen.

The Garchomp swiftly placed her two winged limbs around the female human almost in a hug-like manner before she slightly crouched as she did so opened her mouth and gave her trainers face a painfully slow and terrifying lick, seeing the maws of an Alpha open and right near your friends head as she looked wide-eyed terrified of what could possibly happen to herself but tried to resist the urge to show it too much. Her limbs began almost pushing the small human up and closer to her mouth as you gasped in pure horror petrified to do anything and you knew you weren't going to be able to do anything, Reynard fell silent as she seemed she was going to begin hyperventilating realising what was possibly going to happen, Cyllene was frozen to the spot too scared to move as you noticed the Ultra ball lying on the ground. You carefully crawled over to it trying to remain out of sight.

Drool was dripping out of the dragon's maw, pooling everywhere. Her mouth huge, and her teeth glistened, putting fear in everyone and everything and Reynard was frozen. She knew this was her end. She knew capturing this beast was dangerous and stupid, and yet she did it, and if you weren't quick enough she'd die right here with all that's left is her body and head crushed to nothing but guts and blood but feeding this Pokemon's hunger.

You swiftly lunged for the pokeball recapturing the huge beast as Reynard fell to the ground, landing in some saliva roughly on her behind as she hyperventilated right there on the spot. Tears running down her face that she was too scared to shed in case she'd die. She wept as your Luxio carefully clambered into her lap purring, trying to calm her down as she ran her finger though the blue and black kittens soft fur and she sighed.

[dreamlandiasims]

previous | next

Erwin: How did you know??

Cahill: I’ve picked up some tricks over the years. Changes in energy, vibrations. I had a hunch as soon as y’all walked in.

Erwin: That’s awesome… So now you have to help us, right?

Cahill: And why’s that? Again, not my mess.

Erwin: This could be our only chance for extended alien contact. Jill is trying to get back to her family. Maybe if we get her back to them, they’d answer a few questions.

Cahill: Is that true, Jill?

Jill: I didn’t lie, I swear! I am looking for my family. I… did something… even though Daddy said not to.

Cahill: … What’d you do?

Jill: No one lets me use my powers! It’s not fair. I just… I just wanted to show I could… But Daddy was right, and it got all messed up. I made… a hole.

Erwin: Sorry, a hole?

Cahill: You opened a goddamn portal?

Jill: Oh yeah, that’s what I meant.

Cahill: And where did it spit you out?

Jill: Inside the, uh, the lab.

Cahill: So you came here through a portal to another world and it’s linked to BioSim Tech. They must be having a field day over there.

Frankie: … I need some air.

[lovesodakid]

shut up and listen

matt x fem!reader

summary: matt and y/n have had a certain rivalry for years. all the pent up sex frustration finally comes out one night at a party the triplets hosted.

warnings: smuttt…., drinking?, dom!matt (ish). don’t like, don’t read🤷‍♀️.

____________________________________________

influencers and random strangers fill the room as the sound of different songs thump and bounce off of the walls.

the triplets hit 6 million on youtube a couple of weeks ago, so naturally, they threw a party to celebrate. since they were in boston when they hit it, they waited until they returned to los angeles to throw it.

i’ve known the triplets since i moved to california around a year and a half ago. nick was the first one to notice me, he replied to one of my instagram stories one sunny friday afternoon, we immediately hit it off. once he heard i was moving to la, he practically begged me to come over sometime to meet his brothers, so after finally getting comfortable in my new apartment in the hectic city, i met them for brunch.

just as expected, nick and i instantly connected. we took up most of the conversations that happened that day. i hit it off pretty well with chris. we have a few of the same interests which allowed us to get along extremely well. matt on the other hand, didn’t speak to me at all. instead, he just glared at me the whole time. if looks could kill, you might as well have buried me feet under right then and there.

after that, the more i got comfortable enough with nick and chris the triplets, the more i began to hang out with them. in the beginning, matt would just vocalize how much he hated my outfit, my shoes, or how my hair was done that day. i wouldn’t give him the time of day, as i’d usually just ignore him.

over time, it became irritating how much he’d talk down on me, so needless to say, i began fighting back. which quickly led to us bickering back and forth all the time as we’d throw rude words and comebacks to each other, in hopes of hurting the other one enough to get them to leave the other alone.

which is what’s happening at this very moment.

-

“god you are so annoying!” i yell as i push him away from me, making my way to the kitchen. i need a drink if im going to be dealing with mr. ‘negative all the time’.

“it’s not my fault you decided to show up in a small ass dress.” matt shouts back over the music, seemingly following closely behind me.

“why does it matter what i show up in? it’s my body. so im pretty sure i have a say-so in what i choose to wear.” i shoot back as i grab a bottle of cheap vodka, pouring it into a plastic throwaway cup.

matt’s face scrunches up in disgust.

“you aren’t getting wasted at my party.”

“no, im getting wasted at your brothers party.” i correct him before patting his shoulder, making my way into the living room.

as i walk further into the living room, i notice nick and a couple of other influencers standing in a hurdle talking to one another. i cautiously make my way towards them in hopes i don’t interrupt on any conversations that may be going on.

“y/n! hey!” nick exclaims excitedly, ushering me over.

“hey!” i gleam back as i stand right beside him.

“are you having fun?” he asks, looking down at me.

“as much fun as i can with mr. ‘big mouth’ always having something to say.” i roll my eyes, obviously talking about matt. who else?

“yeah im sorry about him.” nick says as he gives me an apologetic smile.

i just shrug my shoulders in response as i take a sip of the alcoholic beverage in my cup.

i never really understood why matt didn’t like me. im convinced he’s hated me the second he laid his eyes on me. for what reason? i have no clue. i think he finds happiness in life from making my life miserable every second im around him.

-

as im freely dancing, enjoying the effects of the alcohol. i feel someone come up behind me.

“hey.”

i turn around to meet a cute guy, who looks kind of familiar, but i can’t really place it.

“hi.” i say back, giving him a soft, half lidded smile.

“i don’t think i’ve seen you before, what’s your name?” the blonde haired stranger asks.

“oh-im y/n,” i slur my words. “im friends with the triplets.”

“oh okay.” he nods, eyes scanning up and down my body. which almost immediately makes me regret wearing a dress that my ass hangs out of.

i push my lips into a thin line as i nod back, looking down at my hands as i fiddle with them.

“you wanna go somewhere more quiet? y’know to talk. i can barley hear anything in here.” he suggests, leaning down to hear my response.

it’s as if my body reacts before my brain can even process what the dude is saying before im already nodding and taking his hand for him to lead me to a “quieter place”.

he leads me towards the hallway. the hallway where matt’s bedroom, bathroom, and the laundry room is.

we stand outside the bathroom, my back pressed against the door as he stands in front of me.

“so where are you from?” he asks, putting one of his hands beside my head, leaning on it as he lowers his head.

“um…florida..” i answer, hesitantly.

“mhm..” he hums, moving his head closer to mine until his lips barely ghost over mine.

i clear my throat in hopes of sending him a message that im clearly not interested in making out in front of the bedroom of the person i despise the most. or just the fact im not interested in making out at all.

when i feel him backing up, i let out a sigh of relief until i notice he didn’t back up on his own, except with a little bit of help.

“hey there.” matt happily says. clear sarcasm coming from his mouth, as well as written all over the fake smile on his face.

“what’s up!” the blonde dude chirps back, clearly not noticing matt’s fake ass nice tone.

“not much man..you know,” matt glances at me before leaning over to whisper something in the dudes ear.

whatever matt told him, must’ve changed his mind about what he planned on doing for the rest of his life or some shit because the dude just mutters a quick “okay yeah” before practically sprinting back into the living room.

i furrow my eyebrows as i look at matt, who now stands directly in front of me.

“what the hell was that?” he shouts at me, pure anger written all over his face.

“what?” i ask in disbelief as i cross my arms.

“you were just going to fuck some dude while you’re drunk? at my house?” he spits, leaning down to my level. “not to mention right in front of my bedroom?”

needless to say, im shocked. completely and utterly shocked. because, why would mr. ‘i can’t stand you’ now suddenly care what i do?

“what the fuck do you mean?” i voice back. “i wasn’t going to fuck him! let alone fuck him here, and i’m not even that drunk matt.”

i notice a small wave of relief flashing across his face before it turns right back to anger.

“you’re drunk enough,” he begins. “who knows what would’ve happened if i wouldn’t have stepped in. oh wait, i do. you would’ve fucked him! then i would have to listen to you crying in the morning about how you screwed some dude you don’t even know.” he states in a matter-of-factly voice.

once again, i stare at him in disbelief.

“matt-no the fuck i wouldn’t-“ i try to say, before im completely cut off.

“oh my god y/n,” he starts. “won’t you just fucking shut up and listen (lol) for once!” he shouts angrily, his hand coming up to wrap around my throat.

if i wasn’t already fully pressed against the bathroom door, i am now.

“matt?” i squeak out, trying to ignore the pooling in my underwear.

“what?” he breathlessly chuckles, leaning closer to my face.

i don’t say anything, not that i even can. i just stare at him, complete confusion written on my face.

“got nothing to say now huh?” he speaks condescendingly, leaning his head down dangerously close to my throat.

for some reason, i don’t make any efforts to get him away from me. i don’t want to push him away for once in my life.

“hm?” he hums, his lips slightly grazing over the sweet spot right under my ear.

i clear my throat, in hopes of mustering up some way to speak before i feel his mouth harshly biting down on the spot.

“oh-fuck!” i slightly yell, more in surprise than anything as he continues sucking on my neck that’s going to more than likely leave a spot in the morning.

“mhmm.” he hums once again, sending vibrations through my throat.

he removes the hand around my neck to place it on my hip as he puts his other hand on the side of my face, moving his mouth to the base of my throat, planting kisses along the path.

“matt..” i whine breathlessly as he moves his kisses upwards.

they move up my throat. then up to my chin, then once they reach my mouth he stops. just hovering over them before he speaks.

“give me permission y/n.” he whispers.

i nod, almost to quick for my liking.

“words, i need words.” he whispers again, this time sounding a little more desperate as he stares into my eyes, moving his hand from the side of my face to under my chin, lifting it up.

those damn eyes.

“y-yes matt.” i barely get out before his lips are already on mine.

his lips are soft. insanely soft. his pace? not as much.

i can barley keep up with him as his lips move against mine in a rapid movement. both of his hands slide down my sides, wrapping around my back before moving down to gently to grab my ass, causing me to let out a quick gasp, in which he takes advantage of to quickly slip his tongue into my mouth.

he pulls me away from the bathroom door, walking me backwards towards his room. he opens the door and walks me in, kicking the door behind him, our lips not breaking contact once.

he continues backing me up until i feel the back of my legs hit his bed, in which he puts a hand on my chest, slightly pushing me back which causes me to collapse onto his bed. him wasting no time in crawling right on top of me.

“matt..” i whine, grabbing the back of his neck to pull him closer to me.

“what baby?” he coos. rubbing his hand on my face, pushing my hair off my forehead.

“i need you.” i speak softly, unable to ignore the continuous pulsing between my thighs.

which causes him to let a cocky grin spread across his face.

“i know.” he says, reconnecting our lips.

his hands run down my sides, before going lower, reaching the hem of my dress.

“god this dress..”, he huffs, looking down at it. “you look gorgeous baby, but i need it off.”

i quickly nod before he begins pushing it up further. once it’s scrunched up on my waist, my black laced thongs are on complete display for him.

he grins, running his hand down my lower abdomen, stopping right above panty line. which subconsciously makes me buck my hips upwards.

“hey hey..patient baby, okay?” he softly says, pushing me back down.

he continues pushing up my dress as i raise up slightly so he can push it over my head completely.

once its discarded somewhere on the floor of his bedroom, he leans up as he looks down at me. taking notice of my now matching black lace bra and thong.

“matt..” i whimper, needing something. anything.

“shh, let me look at you.” he runs his hands all over my body as he stares at me. like an animal does at its prey before completely demolishing it, eating it alive.

and with that he leans back down, placing his lips on my neck. he moves his lips down my throat, onto my collarbone. making a few pit stops to suck here and there, before moving down to one of my breasts, kissing the top of the exposed skin as the rest is covered by my bra. causing me to let out a breathless moan, arching my back into him.

it’s not covered for long though as he’s reaching behind me to unclasp my bra. once it’s off, he throws it somewhere behind him. focusing his attention back onto my breasts, admiring them.

“you’re perfect.” he whispers before leaning back down, taking my right nipple into his mouth.

“oh my- god matt!” i loudly moan at the sudden motion, reaching my hand up to entangle it into his hair.

he groans as he swirls his tongue around the bud. once he’s decided that’s enough for one side, he quickly moves to my left breast, showing it the same amount of affection.

he stays there for a second before lifting his mouth away from me to hover over me. locking eyes with me, he lowers back down, peppering kisses down the valley of my breast.

he makes his way down my stomach, painfully slowly. leaving soft kisses in his path. the further he gets down, he places his knees on the floor. as he reaches the top of my panties. he keeps his eyes on mine as he sticks his tongue out, licking across the top of my panty line, causing me to shudder and slightly buck my hips up once again. before he pushes them back down again.

“what’d i say about being patient baby?” he tuts before he leans back, getting a full view of my clothed pussy. he grins noticing a darker spot right in the middle of them. “so wet for me hm?”

he drags one finger over my covered folds. which causes me to let out small line of cuss words. he lets the most shit eating grin spread across his face before he’s hooking his fingers around the waistband of my panties. he slowly pulls them down my legs. once they’re fully off, he takes them in his fist throwing them, this time forward so they land on his nightstand.

“such a pretty pussy.” he muttered before swiftly putting his face in between my thighs.

he left a quick, sweet kiss on my clit, causing my body jump and a soft moan roll off my tongue. before his is swiping through my soaking folds.

he skillfully flicks his tongue against my clit in an up and down motion as his eyes are piercing into mine the whole time. in response, i throw my head back onto his comforter, allowing my back to arch as his name comes out of my mouth plenty enough times to make him groan into my pussy. sending vibrations, enhancing the pleasurable feelings.

i feel my climax building, fast, as my thighs squeeze around his head. my grip tightening on his hair.

“matt…im gonna-“ i try to warn him, before i feel him come completely off of me, backing away.

“not yet you’re not.” he says demandingly as he stands up.

i whimper from the loss of him. before he quickly begins to undress. taking off his shirt, then his pants, then finally, his boxers. his dick happily springs out. the tip completely reddened as it throbs impatiently. pre-cum slightly leaking from the hole.

i almost drool at the sight.

he climbs up me again, spreading my legs with his knee. i guess i had pushed them back together while he was getting himself undressed.

he leans back down, connecting his lips with mine.

our lips dance across one another’s before he slowly begins grinding down on me. his bare dick rubbing between my folds to collect my slick to use as lube.

“matt!” i moan again. his cock rubbing against my clit perfectly.

before he stops again, making me whine once again from the loss.

he reaches his arm out towards his nightstand, opening his drawer as he begins rummaging around for something.

both his hand and head drops in annoyance as he groans into the crook of my neck.

“i don’t have a condom.”

“it’s okay,” i smile. “im on the pill.” i inform him.

he springs up, the widest grin i’ve ever seen taking over his features.

“you have no clue how long ive wanted to do this baby.” he sweetly kisses my cheek.

he leans back, sitting straight up as he looks down at me.

“you ready baby?” he asks, rubbing my stomach in reassurance.

“yes matt.” i let him know.

he looks at me, analyzing my face for any signs that scream ‘i don’t want this’. once he doesn’t find any, he begins pushing his tip inside of me.

his jaw slacks, low moans falling out as he makes his way into me. my jaw mirroring his as my back lifts off the brown bedding.

once he bottoms out, he waits for my sign that he can begin moving. once i nod my head a few times, he’s pulling out, not fully as his tip stays in. he snaps his hips back into mine at a slow pace.

“mm-fuck! matt!” i moan loudly.

“fuck baby-so tight.” he grunts, his head falling back.

he keeps the slow steadily pace for a while. slick sounds and moans filling up the room. thank god there’s a party going on outside, or we’d definitely be caught.

“matt..go faster.” i whine, needing more.

almost in a second, his hips are snapping into mine at a harsh pace. his tip kissing that soft spongey spot causing my walls to pulse around him as lewd moans escape my mouth.

“you sound so fucking good baby.” he lets out in small breathes as he puts all of his weight on top of me, his mouth ghosting my ear.

“all for me, huh?” he asks, condescendingly as he manages to pick up his pace.

which only cause me to let out a loud shriek. he takes that as my response as he leans back up, eyes focused on watching himself slip in and out of me.

“matt! im gonna cum!” i squeal, warning him.

“come on, cum for me.” he groans, picking up his already rapid pace. lowering his hand between our bodies to rub circles on my clit.

almost on command, my walls begin contracting as i let go around his dick. pure euphoria coating my body as i hit my high.

he rides me through my orgasm as he inches towards his own.

“fuck-y/n-“ he begins as his hips sputter before he reaches his high, painting my insides white as i feel his warm liquid shoot inside me.

he collapses onto my chest. we lay there for a few seconds as we catch our breath, until he pulls out. both of us wince from the slight overstimulation.

“let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?” he whispers, leaving a sweet peck on my cheek.

as he gets up, he picks my hand up, leaving a small kiss on the back of it.

i just slept with the person i despise most.

or do i?

____________________________________________

a/n: first time writing smut so i apologize if it sucks ass 😃. this took way longer than i’d like to admit but i hope u like it. i heavily advise you to listen to the song ‘shut up and listen’ with this. it’s so fucking good.

for the ones that wanted to be tagged: @imwetforyourmom @tillies33ssss

[pollyanna-nana]

“I can’t help anyone…”

An analysis of Kieran and how it relates to his most controversial scene.

Warning for Indigo Disk DLC spoilers ahead

——————

Greetings! I’ve made it no secret that, despite what some people think of him, I am very fond of Kieran Pokémon’s little emo ass. As a result, when perusing the tags I’ve been bombarded with a lot of very… questionable takes regarding his personality and character, which I simply do not agree with. In particular, I’ve seen a lot of interpretations of a specific scene that I don’t think get at the heart of the story and have some fundamental misunderstandings of the subtextual clues we’re given about how Kieran and Carmine were raised, and I wanted to take the opportunity to present my own interpretations and how I have come to understand this young boy’s complex journey to self acceptance.

This scene, right here, has been the source of many specific complaints I’ve seen regarding Kieran’s character. I’ve seen people saying that his actions here make him a bully, that he’s shaming a fellow student for having troubles at home, and generally is an unpleasant, entitled person. And while I think there’s definitely some truth to those points (and they make him all the more interesting…) I don’t think a lot of these people are thinking about what this scene is really trying to tell us.

Yes, it’s showing the player that Kieran has changed since we last saw him. That his shy, kind demeanor has been supplanted by a stark cruelty that was hinted at in the end of Teal Mask, and that we have reason to fear and fear for him. However. I would argue that it also serves to tell us more about what Kieran himself has dealt with as a student at Blueberry academy. Specifically...

Kieran’s struggle with identity and self worth.

From the earliest segments of Teal Mask, we get strong indications that Kieran has quite the inferiority complex. Worse still, said feelings are reinforced by the people around him, knowingly or not. Here, when Carmine tells us that Kieran's "nearly as strong as she is", we know she simply means to compliment us in her own Carmine-ish way. However, purposefully or not, it reinforces Kieran's idea as someone who is always, at best, almost good enough. Almost as strong as his sister. Never as or more.

He tells the player that he'll hang back, not wanting to get in our way. With no prior prompting, either. How many times has he been made to feel that he was a burden? I adore Carmine, but one of her most pressing flaws is her struggle to make Kieran feel loved and wanted. Which, is actually pretty normal between siblings as she herself is a child. But still, given how much Kieran clearly loves and respects her, her words hold a lot of weight. And it's only Carmine who we get to see treat Kieran this way. While it's possible it's coming almost entirely from her, I'll discuss later why I think it may be more complicated than that. For now, though, it's clear that Kieran himself thinks very lowly of his abilities and would rather stay out of people's way, lest they berate him for perceived inadequacies.

He's had problematic behavior modeled for him by Carmine.

Here, too, we see how Carmine's treatment of him reinforced some very negative ideas of interpersonal conflict and resolution. All throughout Teal Mask, Carmine is telling him to shut up and be quiet, and does what she thinks is best for him without consideration for how it may make him feel. No physical violence, but emotional abuse is abuse all the same. While we know that she was ultimately trying to do what was best for him, and had very good reasons for keeping secrets, its undeniable that the words she used only further reinforced the idea that the strong will push around the weak, and that they have no need for anyone who falls behind in some way.

This scene in particular is fascinating, as we get to see first hand the kind of dynamic that pushed his feelings of inadequacy towards the breaking point. Here, after the player and Carmine run into Ogerpon for the first time, he thinks her weird behavior is because they were making fun of him. It's already sad that he would jump to that conclusion, but then Carmine smiles through his entire dialogue and says nothing. No reassurance, no denial, nothing. Kieran walked away from this conversation thinking that his sister and his new friend were talking about how much they dislike him. Speaking from personal experience, constantly feeling like people are talking about you behind your back at a young age can lead to you becoming brutally honest in a maladaptive way, and it can lead to people thinking you're cruel and unkind because you refuse to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Generational trauma, neurodivergence and cycles of abuse.

Here is where we leave screenshot land for a bit and I talk more about things that I suspect to be true, but cannot ultimately prove. However, I ask that you bear with me here and consider what may be going on above the heads of the child protagonists in a children's video game. (After all, if some people can write whole essays comparing Kieran's behavior to some very serious real-world events... I think I am within my right here!)

Kieran and Carmine, to me, match very strongly with the idea that they came from a bad home life. I don't necessarily mean their grandparents, as they seem nice enough (though flawed), but instead that their parents, whoever they were, contributed substantially to their strained relationship and problematic behavior. This post may seem very Carmine-negative, but I actually do not blame her for what she's done, not really. I do think that she has the agency and experience to take responsibility for how she's treated her brother, but I also think that it is something that was modeled for her by her parents, caretakers and teachers. I think it's very important to keep in mind in all conversations about these two that negative behaviors like these rarely manifest out of the ether. When I see child characters acting this way, I think less "wow, what horrible people!" and more "who in your life is modeling this kind of behavior for you?"

Full disclosure: I am an older sister myself, and my younger sister is very close to me in age in the same way that I see Carmine and Kieran as being. I see a lot of myself in her, which is why I deeply understand her frame of mind in everything here. Being expected to be the emotionally mature one in a sibling dynamic is difficult when you're so close in age, and it can lead to a lot of frustration as you feel like you're made to grow up too fast while your younger sibling is shielded from responsibility. It also doesn't help if the adults in your life model a lot of negative behavior, especially power dynamics, and if you have any sort of neurodivergency.

Speaking of... I wholeheartedly agree with the interpretations of the siblings having some combination of autism, ADHD, BPD or several other potential conditions. I won't go into depth, but without question there's something going on with them that's both untreated and misunderstood by those around them. Which, makes a lot of sense considering where they come from. Kitakami is a small nation, mostly agriculture based, and Carmine in particular is very resistant to the idea of it becoming a tourist destination for wealthier countries. They may not have the resources and infrastructure, along with cultural awareness, to properly diagnose and treat certain mental health conditions. Kieran doesn't even have a phone!

Something I don't see mentioned often is how Kieran and Carmine being at Blueberry is more than likely a very isolating experience for both. Being at a prestigious school in Poke-America, when coming from rural Poke-Japan, must've been a very difficult transition. Given that it doesn't seem like ANY of the adults in their lives are interested in their mental and physical well-being, I can only imagine that exacerbated their already existing issues. Not to mention that the culture of BB seems to be overly concerned with strength in battles, it's no wonder that both children's worst traits were made to fester over time.

Entitlement and disenfranchisement

Okay, enough of that. Back to screenshots. Here I want to talk about how some people interpret Kieran as being bratty and entitled, and while I don't necessarily disagree, I think with the context of everything previously laid out in this post that it's a lot deeper than simple entitlement. We know, from his own words, that all he wants is acceptance, independence, and meaningful human connections. To him, that comes in the form of strong pokemon (acceptance at the academy), going anywhere he wants (feeling empowered and self-confident), and being able to make friends with "anyone". Any friends at all, really.

While his "I worked so hard, and for what?! I STILL lost in the end!" can feel petulant and whiny, it also cuts deep for anyone who has grown up without. I think it's very important to note that Kieran is at precisely the age when systemic inequalities really start to weigh on someone, and before the brain and life experiences are developed enough to handle it in a healthy way. While some cope better than others, for many around this age the weight of knowing that there are people out there who simply have more than you ever will not by any sort of effort or triumph, but rather than the dumb luck of birth into a wealthy, privileged setting... well, it can be crushing.

It's something most grow out of, but for a kid like Kieran, who was so obsessed with the story of a genuine injustice (Ogerpon vs. the 'loyal' three), is it any wonder that he would react this way? The player is a particularly extreme example, of course, as protagonist powers are some real bullshit. Coming to terms with the fact that the system has failed him, but he can still achieve great things and become a person he can be proud of, is something that will probably only come with time and wisdom as it does for most of us. In the interim, though, petty teenage tantrums are to be more or less expected.

Feeling powerless.

In case you think I'm extrapolating far too much, I think it's important to note that, after the severe shock that was Terapagos breaking out of its own ball, Kieran reinforces all of these ideas himself. Here, when Carmine is begging him to help you, he refuses not because of hatred of you but rather his own self-doubt and loathing. Which, ultimately, has always been the core of everything Kieran has done up to this point in Indigo Disk's plot. He believed so strongly that if only he could become stronger, then he could prove to everyone, and more importantly himself, that he was worthy of taking up space and achieving his own dreams. But it's here, when everything truly comes crashing down around him, that the facade slips and shows Kieran as he truly is- a little boy who feels helpless in his current circumstances.

I've seen people say that when he cries after becoming determined to help you defeat Terapagos, it's out of jealousy or anger. However, I couldn't disagree more. The light returning to his eyes shows, in my view, that Kieran feels hope for the first time since he had his dreams crushed back in Teal Mask. That, even though he feels powerless, even though he's hurt people and hurt himself, he's still wanted. That he can do something meaningful, even if it's just cleaning up the mess he helped to make. (Briar don't think I've forgotten about you. You're the most culpable in this situation given you're the only adult- but I digress.)

In conclusion.

He bapy.

No but really, what does all of this even mean? I think going back and reading the conversation at the start of the post, especially if you were initially put off by it, with the context outlined here changes a lot about how one can interpret Kieran's behavior. Note that I am not trying to justify anything he said or did, but rather point out that this fictional child has some serious, unresolved issues that deserve time and thought turned towards them, especially in the way that they reflect real-world individuals and systems. Ultimately, if you want my opinion I think Kieran would be a pretty nasty person to know in real life if I was in school still, but you know what? So was I at his age. And so were most people, if I'm being honest. But that doesn't tarnish a person forever. All of life isn't high school, even though Kieran- or you, reading this right now- may feel like it is. He has a lot of growing up to do, but that's life. And in the meantime, he sure is one hell of an interesting character to follow.

[acecardexe]

CANDY - BEN DROWNED WITH A DOUYIN STYLE S/O

;fluff, headcannons + short stories, BEN is a perv, also a bit of smut?(not really) (fanon-ish BEN) BEN is aged up

- At first when you met BEN he would mock you and make fun of your fashion choices, calling them childish and said your makeup made you look like a baby, which would just soon turn into silly teasing with him unable to process he may or may not like you.

- He would get extremely frustrating and toxic sometimes but he would try to make up for it by giving you clothes he saw in your shopping cart when he was hacking into your account.

; you were laying in your bed, trying to ignore Ben as stubbornly as you were. He entered the room without even knocking and you pulled the bed sheets over you

"Doll, I got you something" he said sitting at the edge of your bed "hmmm, no" you weren't going to take his crap anymore in fact-

"If you don't want these then okayy.. " 'these as in plural?' "And yes as in plural" what annoyed you the most about him was that he seemed to always read your mind. You peeked out of the bed sheets and caught a glimpse of a white fabric,

.. "Fine."

-sometimes, sometimes, he would let you test your makeup on him, most of the time it's when he's gaming and he's distracted, he would let you sit on his lap and put fake eyelashes on him and lipstick,

-he also knows you take pride in picking out your outfits everyday and what looks good and what doesn't so he asks you to spin around and ask to take pictures of your outfit, which, you excitedly always say yes, he crouch down, take pictures in all angles, find that good lighting, and still takes shitty pictures, (don't tell him though he has a large ass ego)

; "spin for me baby"

You spin around and show him all the cool extra accessories you have and the fashion hacks you used as well, he smiled as he watched you taking out his phone

"Pose" he told you, opening the camera app

And so you did, walking around the park, posing like a dress to impress character, sure that the photos would turn out like you deserve to be in the cover of a Vogue magazine

He sent you the photos and looked at you proud of himself "I should be a professional photographer" he told you, opening the messaging app and seeing the most rancid 25x25 pixel photos you have ever seen in your entire life.

"The pictures are lovely babe"

-sometimes he likes picking your outfits himself, but most of the time he picks something straight out of stellar blade, if steller blade was set in sanrio. Or he would pick out outfits that make no sense, or an umblanced outfit, like pink with olive green, it wouldn't of be that bad except you looked like a moldy strawberry.

-sometimes he actually picks out a good outfit but you don't want to say anything in case of boosting his ego again.

-he loves buying clothes for you but he especially loves buying dresses, and would get angry if you were shorts underneath since he loves it when he can see your white lacy panties when you pick something up and you forgot you were wearing a dress until you hear BEN's chuckle behind you

; "what are you laughing at now BEN?" You turned around facing him

"Nothing" he raised his hands up, feigning innocence "except the nice view I was graciously blessed with" he gave you a smirk, you made a confused face before you're cheeks started heating up

"You pervert!" You start hitting him with your handbag

"Ow! Hey! Can't I just be smitten with you for a second?" He gave you a sweet smile "yknow you should be lucky I'm even dating you in the first pla-"

he was cut off by the fact that you threw your bag right at his face,

[shuawonie]

mornings in heaven.

pairing: yoon jeonghan x fem!reader

genre: fluff | marriage!au | jeonghan!softhusband | enemies to lovers | comfort

wc: 3k

warnings: puking, mentions of drugs and alcohol, blond haired jeonghan.

summary: every morning that you could spend with your angel-ish husband felt as if you were in heaven. and even after those 5 years of your marriage, you still feel the same as you felt after the first night when you slept next to him. some things just never change.

a/n: i know that mingyu's sister name is minseo, but as i made them to be twins in this story, i changed it to not let it be uncomfy for anyone.

finally uploading, hah!- but i found this plot idea so adorable that i couldn’t stop myself from writing it, so enjoy ! ~ ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

For a long time, you had difficulties in responding every time someone asked you even the most basic question which is ‘what is your favorite part of the day?’. Because the truth was that you didn’t know.

Mornings were always something that you adored the most since you were a child. Just the thought of waking up with the smell of your favorite breakfast, excitement about playing with your puppy in the garden, and meeting your friends at school was always making you feel so hyped up, that when you were falling asleep, you wanted the night to already be gone. 

But as you’ve grown up, things have changed. Drastically. You were no longer happy when you saw the sun rising, because it only meant that you had to face another day, and you didn’t know if you were able to. Favorite breakfast has already turned into just a cup of coffee, your parents sold your beloved dog to get money for drugs and alcohol, your friends already found new groups and when you came back home in the evenings, you just wanted to lay down and sleep as long as you could. 

Basically, your mornings just turned into hell. 

You’ve been struggling with it since high school, fighting for your life each day as the sun was going higher on the sky, and well.. you wouldn’t agree with it anymore. 

Because it’s been quite a long time since you finished college, and everything has changed. Your breakfast finally came back to a normal dish, the sun in the sky made you smile like a fool, and you could hang out with your best friend and a group of friends.

But most importantly, now you loved mornings again, and all of that was made by the sudden changes in your life.

Your favorite mornings were the ones that you could spend while being snuggled into the chest of your beloved husband — Yoon Jeonghan. The love of your life, and the one who helped you a lot.

Who would have thought that the college’s known trickster would make you fall in love with him so deeply, and him even deeper with you.

Who would have thought that one boy would change your life entirely?

You still remember that one day very clearly. As if it happened yesterday, and not actually 7 years ago. It was your best friend’s and her twin’s birthday party. Minsoo and Mingyu were turning 18 and they were throwing a birthday party at their house, so you couldn’t miss that special day just because you felt badly (since the morning). So after taking some painkillers and sleeping a lot, and making a tissue store, you were ready to go although still not feeling well.

At around 5:30 PM you reached the twin’s house as you promised Minsoo to help her with the decorations. It turned out that the decorations were already all settled up, but the girl was a bundle of nerves when she opened the door and let you in. Mingyu was preparing all of the alcohol stuff for tonight, and as soon as he noticed you, he waved happily, sending his adorable, puppy smile to you, and went outside to check all the stuff in the garden.

Minsoo was stressed. But maybe stressed was not really the right word to use; Minsoo was panicking. The girl couldn’t calm herself down while wandering pointlessly around the salon. So you decided to take her to her room, but she started to nervously walk around her place. Your eyes were lazily following her figure as the girl already started to also bite her lower lip with her hands crossed over her chest.

“Mind telling me what happened?” finally you asked, and grabbed her wrist to stop Minsoo from walking, “Hey, calm down or you’re going to make a hole in your floor from your walking.” feeling how your head started to hurt one more time, you laid down on her bed.

“Aish!” the girl cursed, “Mingyu told me 30 minutes ago that Seungcheol is going to be here too!” she shouted, sighing at the end.

“And what’s the problem with that?” one of your arms landed over your face, closing your eyes to not focus that much on the pain, “Gosh, y/n! You know damn well the reason..” Minsoo whined, burying her face into her hands.

Ah, yes. 

Seungchol has been Minsoo’s crush since you two were freshmen. But as Mingyu got into the friend group where Seungchol was also in, Minsoo’s hopes grew even higher, praying that maybe the one and only Choi Seungcheol will actually choose her.

You raised yourself up, and looked at her with some pity, “And all about that one boy?” the girl didn’t respond to you as she only sat on the bed next to you with her head lowered down, gripping tightly the end of her skirt.

“Hey, Soo-yah,” you cupped her face and turned her to look at you, while gently squeezing her rose-pink cheeks, “You look stunning today and you’re the best the way you are. If he’s not gonna choose you, well.. then fuck it! It doesn’t matter, it’s your big day and you have to feel special. But if he will..” Minsoo looked at you hopefully, and you smiled at her brightly, “Then I’m always going to support you two.”

Minsoo hugged you tightly, “I’m sorry that I made you come here. You’re sick, and you should stay at home..” the girl moved away to look at you, but you only chuckled at her words, “I know I’m not really a party girl, but my best friend has her 18th birthday and I cannot miss it, even if I’m sick.” you two laughed happily.

“But you know.. Jeonghan’s also going to be here.” the girl mumbled quietly. As soon as you heard that name, the smile on your face vanished immediately as you widened your eyes a little.

“Are you kidding me?” 

And so from that moment, invariably with the headache, runny nose and a feeling of throwing up you were trying to avoid that boy as much as you could. The campus’ playboy and trickster, Yoon Jeonghan. The one that made every girl open her legs in front of him. 

You hated his behavior so much.

You were hiding in Minsoo’s room as the girl insisted on you staying here to rest. She closed the curtains, and told you to lay down on her bed. But as much as you wanted to sleep, the singing or even yelling from the karaoke downstairs and the loud music were totally against your sleeping.

As you couldn’t stand laying in the bed anymore, so weakly you left Minsoo’s room and came closer towards the railings to observe the whole party from the second floor. 

Your best friend was stuck between Soonyoung, Seungcheol, Seokmin and Seungkwan while shouting the lyrics of the song, and a lot of people were singing with them, drinking, and some even making out by the walls. 

But then you spotted him. Dressed in a perfectly fitted black turtleneck and black pants, sitting on the couch next to Joshua. A glass of whisky was resting in his hand, as they were surrounded by a group of girls to which he was sending his charming smile. 

But when the boy noticed you, leaning against the railing, Jeonghan sent you a questioning look, and you just showed him a middle finger. You couldn’t stop rolling your eyes at the sight of him smirking at your reaction, and suddenly you really felt like throwing up. 

You didn’t even know if it was by Jeonghan’s face or by the sickness.

Rushing quickly to the toilet, you of course had to find another pair making out on the washing machine, but as soon as they looked at you, they left the room quickly, still glued to themselves. 

That also hasn’t been unseen by him, following your every move with his beautiful eyes.

But you couldn’t hold it anymore, and you just ran straight to the water closet. You truly wished you weren’t here, puking with the possibility of a stranger coming in and seeing you like this. You wished you could be at your home, with your mother who would take care of you. You wished someone would actually care about you.

And just then, suddenly, someone grasped your hair that was falling over your eyes, and whispered, “Shh.. it’s okay.” they started to gently caress your back.

‘Oh god, someone please pinch me.’ you thought to yourself as you immediately recognized the voice.

“Get out.” you hissed, not even looking at him, “I don’t need your help, Yoon.”

“Oh angel, yes you do.” Jeonghan uttered softly, and you could hear how a smirk appeared on his face. 

You didn’t say anything back as you slowly started to feel embarrassed that the boy saw you in that state. But ugh, seriously? Out of all the people that could have gone in here, did it really have to be him?

I didn’t understand then how lucky I was that it was actually him who helped me, and not someone else.

Jeonghan assisted you as you were trying to stand up by yourself, and helped you clean up, “Okay, thanks for your help, I can take care of myself. Now you can go back to your ladies.” you muttered, wiping your hands and face in the towel, “I bet they’re craving for you.” you added, but just when you were about to move from the boy, your legs didn’t want to cooperate with you as they bent under you and almost made you fall to the ground if not Jeonghan, who quickly catched you with his arms.

“Yeah, sure. You’re totally able to take care of yourself in this state.” the boy mocked you, which made you snort annoyingly at his words. He started to really irritate you. Why was he even here? Why didn’t he stay with those girls?

And not even 5 minutes later, Jeonghan helped you to get safely to Minsoo’s bed, tugging you under the soft sheets. Your head, although, started to hurt even stronger, making you slightly wince.

It was not left unseen by Jeonghan as his palm quickly touched your forehead, “y/n.. you’re burning up..” he said softly, with anxiety heard in his voice. You smiled softly to him, as you didn’t know what to do anymore. In a blink of an eye, the boy rushed out of the room which made you think that maybe he finally left you alone, letting you fall asleep.

But not long after, you heard someone’s whisper, “y/n, can you hear me?” you opened your eyes, and saw Jeonghan crouching next to Minsoo’s bed with a glass of water and an ice compress in his hand.

At that moment you wanted to smack your head against the wall from the embarrassment a few times. 

Why was he like this? Couldn’t he just LEAVE?

You raised yourself a bit on your elbows, and Jeonghan helped you to drink the water. It was unbelievable that you didn’t even realize how thirsty you actually were. When you finished drinking the whole liquid from the glass, the boy placed it on the side table that stood next to the bed.

“I think that the amount of pills you’ve taken today made you puke. That’s why I decided to not give you another one, but I took this ice compress from their freezer.” he said softly, and you took the cold cure from his hand, and placed it gently over your head, with the boy’s stare locked on your sleepy and pale face.

“You’re annoying, Yoon.” you mumbled, “Why are you here, and not downstairs with everyone? Let me be alone. You can get sick because of me.”

“I don’t care.” Jeonghan said without even thinking twice, “All they want is to make out with me or get drunk, but I have more important things to do.”

“I hate you.” your voice became even weaker and fragile as you turned his back to him, which made Jeonghan smile sadly. The boy stood up, and walked around the bed to sit on the other side of the bed, leaning his back against the headboard.. Luckily, Minsoo’s bed was big enough to fit 2 people in. 

His body was so close to you which gave you so much comfort and safeness that you couldn’t understand. Then, the boy started to gently play with your hair which made you melt under his touch.

You hated yourself. You hated the fact that he made you feel this way. You didn’t want to feel like that. 

But it was already too late.

In the morning, you woke up feeling much better. The high fever was already gone, and the weird feeling in your stomach also disappeared. But when you opened your eyes, you noticed that you slept snuggled into Jeonghan’s body, with his hand still resting over you, protecting you from getting cold. Your cheeks immediately started to burn, but you knew that this time it wasn’t from the fever.

Not so long later, you finally were sitting by the kitchen island, surrounded by your friends, with Jeonghan sitting in front of you, sending you some glances from time to time. Minsoo was sitting by your right and the girl was looking at you with so much happiness in her. You mouthed a quiet ‘what’ to her, and the girl leaned closer to you. 

Later you found out that while you were dying in Minsoo’s room with Jeonghan by your side, your best friend had fun with her crush.

“Oh by the way, where did you go last night, Jeonghan?” Joshua questioned making you immediately feel anxious about Jeonghan’s answer.

The boy smirked, “I had something very important to do.” he looked at you, as you sent him a warning look.

But if you had to be honest, you didn’t complain about that night. You knew that if not that day, you probably wouldn’t change your mind about Jeonghan.

And you were grateful to have someone like him in your life. 

Each of his “Good morning, angel.” that you heard from him every morning, immediately put a smile on your lips as you mumbled a soft ‘morning’ to Jeonghan, while he kissed your forehead softly.

And today’s day was not different. Although this time, surprisingly it was you who woke up first. 

The sun’s rays were shining through the blinds, lazily resting on your faces, and the sound of singing birds was echoing in your room. 

Right when you opened your eyes, you found your husband lying on your left side with one of his hands (as usual) resting on your waist as it was his favorite place to lay his hand. 

Just the sight of Jeonghan still resting peacefully beside you, made you feel like your heart both grew painfully large and quickly dropped into your stomach.

Even after those 2 years of dating and 5 years of your marriage, you felt like you could lay all day in bed, tracing his features for hours long. He looked angelic. His blonde, long hair spread out over the pillow, with his bangs hovering over his closed eyes, and the playful smirk that he had always worn smoothed out into a soft smile. You grinned, while realizing how he always manages to impress you that much, even in his sleep, doing nothing.

“It’s not nice to stare at someone like that, angel,” suddenly you heard Jeonghan’s voice which made you slightly flinch as you were sure that he was still asleep, “Especially when they’re asleep.” he added, and finally opened his eyes.

And there they were.

The most beautiful, dark and shiny thing that you’ve ever seen, while being so deep and tempting as you looked into them. Because Yoon Jeonghan’s eyes were one of the many things that made you immediately fall in love with him.

The normal, cold, playful, disgusting and excited gaze, all of it looked so unique in his eyes, but you also had your favorite of all of them. His soft stare that he always treated you with, like it was reserved only for you.

And just like that, he was observing you, and you only.

“But how did you know?” you snuggled closer to him, and he put his hands carefully over your body while locking you in a warm hug, “You were still asleep just a minute ago.” 

Jeonghan chuckled softly, while smiling to himself, “Oh baby, I always wake up before you, and it was not different this time. But I decided to lay with you for a few minutes before getting up.” he kissed your temple, while drowning deeply into your scent, “And I knew you have woken up because the way of your breathing has changed.” 

You chucked into his chest, “Okay, I’m getting more impressed with you from day to day.” 

“And it’s been only 5 years, angel.” he moved you on top of him, and you hugged him like a koala, listening to his peaceful heartbeat. “I love you.” you whispered, what made Jeonghan giggle sweetly, with the vibrations of his laugh  brushing your cheeks.

“I love you more, angel.”

Ah yes. You totally love mornings. Especially the mornings in heaven with Jeonghan. Those were your favorite.

© shuawonie | 2023, all rights reserved.

reuploads and likes are highly appriciated ♡

[zahri-melitor]

New(ish) Comics

Batman #154: Look, I don't hate this story, but did we really need another round of Thomas 'Cheater' Wayne? Especially Dr Thomas MD But Can't Handle Contraception Wayne? Been here. Done that. Bane Half-Brothers was funnier. Hopefully this is superior to every time Tommy Jr appears.

Absolute Superman #1: I think I rank this ahead of Absolute Batman but not as good as Absolute Wonder Woman. It's an interesting approach. It's very in your face and not bothering with subtlety in the analogies.

I will agree I am fond of the trend of Live Mothers With Their Sons in these stories, even if I know Lara's about to get whomped by the plot. Loved fix-it engineer Lara who wanted to be an astronaut and got washed out for having Wrong Political Views (age 9).

Action Comics #1074: in contrast, Lara in this is a 1950s cipher, literally standing there holding the baby. It's is such sharp contrast compared to Absolute Superman, especially as I read them back to back.

Aside from that, I think the Clark main plot finally picked up its pace a bit, the Kenan and Kon plot got a bit explainy but remains fun, and Kara is having a very bad time over in her plot.

Birds of Prey #15: Delighted by Cass being a menace here. Really happy we got to spend a little more time getting inside Sin's head. And Grace and Onyx looking at each other and trying to work out how to fight Barda to let her let off steam without anyone getting massively injured was so funny: they're both ripped in this comic, but Barda is, well, Big Barda.

Batgirl #1: As was generally expected, this is heavily leaning on Batgirl 2000. Interestingly as far as I am concerned, it is retaining Batman & Robin Eternal and working on twisting the word 'Orphan' to have multiple meanings! Which I've commented on before: Orphan as a name and a word has a lot of implications for Cass to be unpacked, and not all those implications are obvious on the surface.

I'm interested to see more of how they play this - it's a different approach to Cass's internal monologue and body reading skills.

As far as Shiva goes: they definitely seem to have sat down and tried to find a midpoint between preboot Shiva in Batgirl 2000 and Rebirth Shiva in say Batman and the Outsiders 2019 (both are definite influences on this).

Shazam! #17: Love the Hephaestus design. Feeling sorry for Freddy, though I liked that the whole situation is framed not as 'going evil' but as a test of strength of mind. And given the uneven power split in the family right now, externalising that jealousy makes sense.

Plastic Man No More! #2-3: caught up with Plas. Was reminded I don't actually particularly enjoy him as a character. As a set of stories focusing on treating Eel as more than just a joke character and interrogating his interiority they're doing a lot; I guess some of it is I simply don't really feel attached to him, and I'm cheering Luke O'Brian on to never talk to his dad again.

Also very much reminded these are Black Label, between the gruesome body horror, the plot, the number of character deaths and the fact Tim's running around as a Titans lieutenant checking on members.

I think these are quite good comics. I'm just not emotionally attached to Eel and these aren't managing to get me over the hump.

Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #2: and over here in the 2024 DC Santa read along, we scored a Jason Blood telling tales of Camelot! Don't know where Nimue was - she clearly managed to sidestep this drama and reminding Jason she has very different memories of the period.

Mera also kicked absolute arse and weaponised her attackers prejudices in a satisfying manner.

As a marker: John Stewart is in this title, but he's on the JL team up that are currently trapped and don't have Santa with them. This is important because...

DC'S Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg #1:

Santa's Oath: this is a story about Mrs Claus driving the sleigh and being a Blue Lantern, while John Stewart is asking if Santa really exists. We covered this, John! Extensively! In the DC Santa read along last year! He's real! And not only is he real this story is suggesting he's 'busy' in a way that makes me think it wants to align canonically with Silent Knight Returns, except for the fact, John, you are currently trapped in that story, and you're undoubtedly about to MEET Santa in it by the end of it.

In terms of Blue Lanterns, if anyone is going to be one, I don't hate putting it on the Clauses.

Also add this one to the tally of Real Santa stories, even if it is 'Carol' Claus.

Secret Santa: Happy Christmas to me personally, because the 2008 Secret Six lineup are currently exchanging presents and it includes hilarious cuddly Bane musing on everyone's histories.

This is amazing. I only wish Floyd and Thomas had got more banter in it. And it wasn't even written by Simone - dare I dream of another Secret Six run?

Ghosts of Christmas Present: John Constantine gets trapped in a Hallmark Movie via Hell. This is slight and underuses Constantine.

It's a Criminal Life: ...Joker gets It's a Wonderful Lifed with a ghost dead Robin!Jason. It's deeply ridiculous.

Deadman Walking: it's a Christmas mining disaster story! Ahhh, Deadman comics. Honestly a bit too earnest and instructive on how to dig people out of collapsed mines.

Silent Nite: oh the art on this one is good (Francavilla). Silent, period piece for Dr Mid-Nite set in 1941. The direction of the story is obvious from about the second page but still well told.

The Perfect Gift: Ben Turner and Mari McCabe try to buy each other Christmas presents story. Mari massively overthinks things. Ben apparently managed some serenity from the O-Sensei and just got Mari something straightforward. Donna plays wingwoman.

O Glowy Night: The art is fun in this and the concept (Clark can't stop radiating a sunny glow). I sighed at the villain.

Honestly I enjoyed this mix. Lots of characters who mostly get back ups, from various corners of DC.

The Warlord #75: this week in Skartaris we reach an anniversary issue and with it...the return of Graemore, Tara's old childhood friend who likes trying to steal her away from Travis (via such seduction methods like 'not wandering off into the wilderness to kill things without returning for months on end' and 'appearing at meals' and 'asking Tara about her feelings').

Travis and Tara actually discuss the fact Travis is never in Shamballah for more than 5 minutes at a time and that she's tired of it.

In the Ancient Atlantean artefacts line of story, we find out that the USAF identity card thing Travis found was from the 23rd century, yet left with all the other materials of the ancients. COULD IT BE MORE TIME TRAVEL? (because this story doesn't have enough as it is). I feel sorry for whatever poor fool got trapped back in Wizard World and had to live out his days there to get this stuff over to the Ancient Atlanteans.

(Also uh the New Atlanteans try to invade Shamballah and Travis ends up punching Tara to carry her as they try to escape so she won't try to make a heroic last stand. Which. Certainly a thing that happened here)

[thatsparrow]

watched twister (1996) for the first time (thoughts)

wasn't expecting the opening credits to feel as ominous as they did, very horror-adjacent (when the tornado lands, there's this growling sound effect that feels very monstrous. from what I remember, this is really the only time that happens, which could be a cool, like—given that this is the tornado that killed her dad, to jo, it was a monster)

between toby getting (briefly) locked out of the storm shelter in the beginning and bill paxton having to carry aunt meg's dog out of the house before it collapses, this movie puts animals in danger much more than I anticipated (I guess that one cow didn't have such a good time, either)

still in the opening, but when her dad got yoinked, all those nighttime shots of the lightning and tornado felt very supernatural, ufo-ish (this big transcendent thing in the sky, abducting her father, so large you can only see bits and pieces of it) which does play into the mystery/unknowability aspect

we cut to the present, and there's this jaunty, western-style music playing, which I also didn't expect! I think that was one of my main takeaways—that I thought this movie was more a straight-up natural disaster action movie, when it's really more of an adventure story (and a love story, which bookends the whole thing.) but like, if you think of the tornadoes as some rare treasure, the storm signs (and bill's ability to read them) as the map, chasing against rivals after the same goal, all the beats are there. (not to say it isn't also a natural disaster movie, but it is interesting watching how/when the movie shifts between tornadoes as an object of pursuit, stirring excitement, the majesty of nature, and when they're a threat, a point of fear, dangerous in their unpredictability and impassivity)

we see helen hunt, and my first thought was, "why would he ever divorce helen hunt"

(more under the break)

but also I wasn't actually ever clear on why he was divorcing helen hunt? or more, why they had separated in the first place. the closest I could figure was that conversation when he says something to jo about her not wanting a house, and maybe that it was him wanting to settle down and she wanted a life on the road (see: his current job as a weatherman now that he's with melissa) but also, does he really want to settle down? the whole movie is us seeing how he's clearly happiest and most alive when he's chasing (and with helen hunt), but he can't or won't let himself accept that until melissa ends the relationship for him

didn't expect carey elwes to be here, doing his absolute best effort at a southern accent

i love human barometer bill paxton. "he's better at reading storms than anyone else" "why" "don't worry about it" (genuinely though, it's such a fun detail, and I'm glad they include it in twisters, too)

jo's storm chasing team is bigger than I thought it would be (granted, I had no concept of anyone else being in this movie other than helen hunt, bill paxton, and philip seymour hoffman) and I love that sequence of all the vibes of the different cars as they take off, the music they put on, the interiors—we are running the gamut of personalities here, but they are all equally excited and motivated by storm chasing (then compared to the deeply corporate and uniform energy of jonas's team)

"have you lost your nerve?" "tighten your seatbelt" we all know their chemistry is good, but their chemistry is SO good ("let's get you wired" LET'S GO)

melissa is interesting, like — she's the audience surrogate, she's the excuse to explain things about storm chasing and tornadoes that everyone else would already know (but the audience likely doesn't), she's insightful and compassionate when she's talking to her clients (are we meant to take the reproductive therapy or something as a joke job?), and she does clearly love bill, and he loves her, too. but she's so out of her element, she complements this entirely different side of him, and now that he's in this place where he's most himself, she's completely at sea. she's understandably afraid and overwhelmed. she's watching her fiance fall back in love (or, realize he was always still in love) with his ex, who's accomplished and capable in all the ways she isn't. and there's some friction between them, like melissa telling jo not to try to win bill back, and some jockeying from jo at the diner counter, but then you also have jo checking on melissa after the first tornado hits. I like that her story ends with her deciding to leave bill, but then adding the line about not being that sad about it, her recognizing that they weren't really what the other needed (it is weird though that she's suddenly gone from the group and no one remarks on it)

very into bill starting the movie all buttoned-up, then gradually shedding those layers, getting less kempt, his shiny new truck converted into their chase vehicle (later when the other chasers refer to bill as "the extreme," the push-pull between who he is in his life before the movie starts, and who he clearly is at heart)

it is wild that a divorce is the undercurrent of this whole thing (but wild in a fun way! like it's fun how much this is a love story that also has tornadoes. bill paxton is here to get the divorce papers signed. the movie ends with them kissing. rebuilding relationships via natural disasters)

that shot of the flying cow happens so much earlier than I expected

just between us, it took me way too long to realize jo was the little girl from the beginning ("how long?" don't worry about it)

jo as ahab, her trying to look into the tornado and bill turning her away, the obsessive need to understand, pushing forward beyond what's reasonable

the cars! cars as their primary instruments, reflective of their personalities, this is a western and their cars are their horses, but also cars won't protect them when a tornado hits, and in fact add to the danger, they're at the drive-in when the surprise tornado comes, they hide out in the floor of the garage, cars as homes, cars getting trashed, I've lost the point but you see it

there's something about the disconnect between the threat messages, both "they had no warning" when a tornado hits unexpectedly, vs. an f-5 that you can see and follow the trail of, but it's still going to destroy whatever is in its path (also after wakita gets hit and jo's aunt meg tells her that jo needs to stop it—like the data they collect is vital, but also them getting dorothy to fly won't have any immediate consequences on the tornado itself)

I do love all the "bill's back" "I'm not back" from the beginning, him saying he's only going to stay a day, and then he's immediately so back

spoilers but I did not expect carey elwes and his driver to die. this movie has a pretty low onscreen body count, and that one was a surprise

that near-kiss in the cornfield! so good!!

the whole sequence of them sprinting from the tornado toward the barn, the fence posts getting pulled up just behind them, the horses running—so, so good

but also what's the deal with the murder barn? like they run into the barn and it looks like a murder barn and then they run out because everything in the murder barn would murder them when the tornado hits, and then we never address it again. was this just to keep them running from the tornado a little longer?

they're a battle couple but for storm chasers, and it slaps

the movie ends with them kissing! this is their love story!!

all in all, I had a hell of a time, a blast from start to finish

[faller-of-kharbranth]

Okay… Pinned:

I’m Malkah. She/it/that/fae, feminine terms.

You can also call me Lilith, Zora, Sathona, or Aurash! (Nicknames are fine!)

Use whichever one you’d like to refer to me by, or use them interchangeably, I don’t particularly care, to be honest. Kon kon.

All of them are Me.

21 years old.

Fell in Nimbasa.

Edit: I’m a Zork now! (Hisuian Zoroark.)

I have a tail!!

I’m Shallahi @shallahi-and-snowflake’s other younger sister, so I’m a member of Bridge Four!! That’s a sentence that I didn’t think I’d say…

Am I also a middle sibling now?!

Also I think I just reverse-adopted @suddenlyauntiemaya as a big sister. (22 June 2024)

Also Konnie @abyssanon is also my sibling!

My girlfriend Dahlia (she/her) is a wonderful friend and a floofy werezork!

I’m also an Honorary Incursionist!

The Radiant Order that I think I’d be is probably a Lightweaver!! I took the test and got that…

Here’s my Trainer Card!

Rivka is my starter kit, and an absolute babey of a floof!

Harmoniah was my Saltid Galvantula, and is an adorable little bean! She’s currently living with the other Saltid Tikkitiks that came along with me, just outside the Center I work at!

Chiri’s my anxiety service ‘Mon!

Teru-Bozu is… a fairly quiet old man. He’s nice.

KZZKT!!

I’m Telamon! I live in her phone! I use they/them!

KZZKT!!

I sign my asks with -Malkah!! or -מלקה

HELLO!! I AM SATANAEL, A GIRATINA! I USE IT/SHE PRONOUNS, AND I’M A FRIEND OR SOMETHING TO THIS FUNNY FOX GIRL!!

BUT, it was formerly off due to far too many instances of HM: CUT being sent than reasonably tolerated. DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN.

No NSFW, please.

//No OOC anon hate. And don’t go too far with IC anon hate.

//that’s the hard rule.

Arcs:

• Arc: egg!! (Very light impromptu arc about a Hisuian Zorua egg.)

• arc: seekers of light (Very Persona 5-ish story very involved in the galactic prelude arc and PLA. prismatic return also winds into it a little.)

• arc: galactic prelude (sometimes heavily existential pre-Hisuiing long-term arc)

•arc: prismatic return (for Malkah-4, D2 Final Shape arc. Relies heavily on references/callbacks to various lore documents and also D2 story. Typical canon violence and heavy apoc and post-apoc warnings.).

Previous Arcs: arc: Castelia trip!! arc: bitter repercussions (HEAVY), arc: bitter keening (HEAVY).

//So:

Malkah here is a character rather heavily based on me but is decidedly also not me.

She is literally a trans-species Therian Zork-girl trying to live her life along with the general shenanigans of Rotomblr.

She wasn’t always this way though! She does have a past, character-wise, of being a self-insert faller, thus the tags, but she’s changed a lot since then!

Here’s her playlist!

Usual DNI applies.

PFP is by @/stereo-sys.

Background is by @/blaiddraws.

[arvensimp]

What are your thoughts on the up coming dlc? I personally am kinda bummed out they only announced the Scar/Vio one, i was hoping for one for pla too ://

On the bright side im excited to see kalos again

I hope this doesn't sound too streak of conscious-y lol

Not to be too Old Woman yells at cloud but I've literally been playing Pokemon for 23-ish years now? I'm still not entirely sold on a Pokemon game needing DLC, much less DLC that costs $35 when the base game cost $60 and tax. THAT SAID I already bought it anyway lol and I'm still super excited to spend more time with my character. I have her decked out in her new clothes already.

I think there's been some confusion on what the DLC is too, so let me recap my understanding of it really quickly.

This fall, pt 1 The Teal Mask will be released. This has like old school Japanese festival vibes.

This winter, pt 2 The Indigo Disc will be released. This takes place at Blueberry Academy.

Both will be playable on scarlet and violet (I saw some folks saying they were game locked?)

I'm super excited to have my baby espurr back, since espurr has been one of my favorites for years.

I'm a little disappointed that we're not obviously going to Kalos, but at the same time I'm glad that we're not PAYING to go to back to a place that they already showed us years ago.

I also saw folks who were disappointed that the wait for the dlc is so long? But idk I'm happy to wait for a good product (so long as it's good!!!). I really don't mind waiting for good content, especially when so much stuff lately has been rushed and not as good, yknow? Especially when rushed content comes at the cost of the well being of employees too

AS FOR CONTENT AND STORY AND STUFF. idk all I really care about is more arven, outfits, and an explanation for paradox Pokemon being in area zero before the time machine's existence.

Like 1. Don't let arven stay trapped in his room all day. Let him come outside with me and have adventures again.

2. I hate the school uniform so much. Let me wear something else please I beg you.

3. I don't generally put much faith in the pokemon company to tell a good story but they KNOW they've left us hanging with the paradox Pokemon mystery. I mean Arven literally says it for himself how strange it is that the scarlet/violet book talks about paradox Pokemon in area zero in a time before the time machine could have ever existed. What does that mean???

Personally I'm interested in the theory that the disc Pokemon or hexagon Pokemon or whatever alters reality based on the desires of those near to it and that terastalization is just a manifestation of a Pokemon to be another type/stronger. The paradox Pokemon are the desires of the professors and the original research team. The time machine and the AI are the same thing as well. With the AI in particular I feel that way because the professor's journal literally says something to the effect of "that man/woman walked out not long after the boy was born. There's so much to do, and I need more help, but how long would it take to train someone else? Would they even understand? If only there were two of me."

Then the next entry is them talking about what is presumably the AI.

Like I don't think the professor who just became a parent and is drowning in research and work and stuff would put EVERYTHING DOWN to work on all new technology that hadn't been invented yet.

So with ALL THAT I'm really hoping that we get more information on what the FUCK is going on with area zero and that Arven can be a part of it.

I also saw a theory that maybe the other professor is involved with blueberry academy??? That'd be nice.

Also some of the folks at blueberry seem to have that cooking motif going on so I don't want my man being left out on the fun

[0nl0n]

ONION ONION

NEW AU ALERT ( THIS MIGHT BE LONG IM SORRY I-)

Alr ive ,thought about it and im calling it "mercurys lulaby "( idk if i spelled lulaby right)

Story:

So mercury was bullied alot in this au and he discovered his singing voice( the singing part is important but we'll get to that later)

After earth went a TINY BIT TO FAR, mercury just ran to the asteroid belt, far away from Jupiter and saturn

It took awhile but mercury managed to make a vacuum outa asteroids ( i ran outa ideas here)

He slooowly went near the sun where the sun couldn't see him, and uh-

Mercury like- sucked the light, and energy outa the sun, since the vacuum was pretty big

The suns colour drained, he was just.. Grey

There was no light no nothing, lets just say his personality drained too.

Everyone immediately noticed and freaked out, but then they heard something.

Mercury used his little song ( which didn't have lyrics, just vocalizing)

Everyone felt drowsy. Like the song was making them fall asleep

Mercury came out from behind the sun after each one fell asleep

He captured venus ( NO, THIS ISN'T VENCURY BTW)

and mercury took venus captive

The planets soon woke up, confused, and freaked out

Meanwhile with venus, he wasn't himself anymore, by that, i mean he was hypnotized, the real venus was in his mind if that makes sense, he could see what was going on around him but he just couldn't control himself

mercury had venus in a asteroid cage, mercury was thinking what he could do for revenge.

He looked over to the suns energy he collected. He grins at it

Meanwhile with the sun, he was almost lifeless, actually, he was slowly (LIKE REALLY SLOWLY) shrinking.

The planets where out of their orbits thinking what to do. Saturn was crying, the moon and earth were making up plans, and mars and jupiter were shook

so they needed to stop mercury as fast as possible.

Mercury didn't know venus was hypnotized, since venus was just sitting on the ground, lifelessly

Mercury angrily told him " JUST STAND UP WILL YA?! "

venus opened his well- purple and white eyes and just stood up

Mercury was a bit shook, but he grinned at himself thinking he could use this to his advantage

The planets were finding ways to stop mercury

Earth and mars went to the deep parts of the asteroid belt, planning to comfront mercury

mercury ended up capturing earth, leaving mars since he saw mars as a friend-ish

Earth was yeeted into the same cage as venus was, venus was just following mercury wherever mercury went ( again, not vencury)

Earth wanted to know what mercurys plan was

after that (this part will be simplified bc i don't want this to be too long)

Mars soon was captured with earth, ( TW:GORE MENTIONS INCOMING) mars got his eye r!pped 0uT. Mercury wanted to know their plans.

Earth was also harmed, his surface looking like hell

after that jupiter went into the deep part of the asteroid belt

mercury didn't take jupiter, instead he wanted jupiter to "join" him

Jupiter of course said no, like a normal person would

Mercury told him sm like " alr... Well then... How about a deal? How about we battle? Me, "earth and mars and Venus" vs, you and those idiots? If we win, i get to rule the galaxys. And the sun dies off. If you win. I will stop and return the suns energy. "

Jupiter shook his smol hands and yeah

They fought, mercury sadly died. Then earth mars and venus came back to normal ( oh yeah mars and earth were hypnotized too-)

The sun was back to normal. Except.. Mercury was gone.

yeah so thats it, im so sorry this was long- i just wanna share this au, even if im bad at making aus XD

Naw man I love this au 😭. Mercury's villain arccccc and the fact that my hc is that mercury ca n sing and make music, the au fits so well with my au. Now I he ugre to make an animation meme about this au 😌 wait a minute....THIS WAS EARTH'S FAULT DANG FAQ TERRA and dw about the gore. i liek gore 😃👍 i would even like to become a gore artist one day lol. (BTW, I don't like vencury unless it eros' love plan cause he's clearly got an arrow in his head 😑) imma make art of this lol

[halorocks1214]

#what's going on in Pokémon HOME? (tags by @/lorekeeper-backset)

there is nothing actively going on in HOME at the moment but i figured i would use these tags to explain my thought process to my less-pokemon-inclined followers. i will do my best to keep it brief as i am a known yapper of things

so what is Pokemon HOME? to keep it simple, HOME is a switch app/game that connects all of your other mainline pokemon games so you can yoink certain pokemon from certain boxes to either transfer them to other games or just keep them safe from something like a game glitching out and deleting itself etc etc. it also has a connected mobile app of which i will show you here

in this mobile app, you have access to a mechanic known in the poke fandom as the Global Trade System (GTS for short). it was a system where you could place one pokemon in there, say "hey you can have this if you give me this other pokemon," and then while you were away someone could see your offer and go "oh! i have that and really want the other that! perfect!" many pokemon fans are aware this used to be accessible in the (3)DS pokemon games before Recent Events. speaking of (3)DS games, before pokemon HOME there was an app called Pokemon BANK

BANK functioned the same as HOME but for the (3)DS systems instead. however, the dreaded "closing of (3)DS online shops and connections" happened within this last year, and i have my own opinions on that as everyone else does but i won't go too far into detail as this post is about what this has to do with HOME

pokemon BANK is still active as of me posting this on December 4, 2024, and Nintendo has been strongly encouraging people with pokemon still in BANK to send them to HOME because they don't plan to keep BANK up forever (again, strong feelings about this, but not necessary to mention on this post). this fact is important as over the course of Nintendo moving their pokemon stuff to the switch, certain pokemon that have not been able to be placed into the games (DEXit, pearl/diamond/pla dex limitations, etc) have been made available through DLC expanding dexes or new games being released. as of right now there is approximately ten to fifteen-ish pokemon i think still locked in dex purgatory, one of which includes furfrou, a gen 6 pokemon

furfrou by and large is a gimmick pokemon from a generation based off of France. it is noticeably a pokemonized poodle, and its whole shtick is that you can take it to various salons in Kalos (the name of the world) and have its fur edited into one of nine other fur pattern options. the main criminal of this story is of course the pharaoh trim mentioned in the original post

"so what's the big deal?" you're probably wondering. "why does this make you so giddy?" i'm glad you asked! see, if one were to transfer their furfrou up from BANK, it does not matter what cut they have, the process completely reverts the pokemon back to its wild haircut that you find it in when trying to catch it. the issue here is that the HOME database still accounts for all these haircuts as it does for all pokemon with multiple forms (this was a problem with another pokemon line with four forms that got fixed when it was added to scarlet and violet: it was stuck as one kind of form when transferred up from BANK even if you caught it as something else). so why include these forms in HOME even though you technically cannot obtain anything that isn't the wild trim from the (3)DS games?

the thing is that i am a dirty liar

it IS possible to have the various trims of furfrou in your HOME, you just need to catch it in the ever-famous Pokemon GO app, give it the trim there, and then transfer it to HOME by connecting your GO account to the switch app. this process manages to keep the trim you gave it, thus allowing one to use the various forms in the GTS like Nintendo presumably wants people to do. there's just one problem with this idea

the trims in GO are region-locked, meaning you can only obtain certain ones in certain parts of the world. the most infamous one of this problem? the pharaoh cut, only obtainable in Egypt

most people are not going to go out of their way to travel to a country to change a pokemon's haircut (so for those already in Egypt, have a blast taking advantage of this ig), and eggheads in HOME know this. they know there is like 1% of pokemon players who physically can place a pharaoh-cut furfrou into HOME and they abuse the shit out of this

the GTS in HOME is absolutely littered with level 100 legendaries, shinies, and other hard-to-get pokemon, all being offered for a pharoah-cut furfrou. some of them are probably hacked (i wouldn't be surprised if most of them are), but the message is all the same: look at what we have that you don't. suck on it loserssss

so now we get to my original post. at the start of the year, a new mainline game was announced. a lot of people were assuming a new LET'S GO game series set in Johto to follow the Kanto ones was going to get shown off or even the highly anticipated generation 5 remakes! people were abuzz and speculations were going crazy, so imagine everyone's surprise when this showed at the end of the trailer, something essentially no one was expecting

a new legends game, set in Kalos/generation 6 of all places

what does that mean in all of this? let's recap chronologically:

pokemon (3)DS online services shut down -> Nintendo keeps Pokemon BANK running to give people time to send their pokemon to HOME on the switch -> certain pokemon are still not available in any of the mainline switch games, one of which is furfrou -> furfrou is a pokemon with multiple forms that get deleted when transferred from BANK to HOME, making them useless -> pokemon GO gives people the ability to obtain other forms in HOME -> forms are region-locked, making specific forms really hard to get -> pharaoh cut is arguably the most difficult to obtain -> jerkwads in HOME realize this and make essentially impossible pokemon to obtain tradable only for pharaoh furfrou -> Nintendo announces a new game for the switch set in Kalos, the generation where furfrou came from and where you can give it its various trims -> all switch games are eventually connected to HOME to transfer pokemon to it -> pokemon with multiple forms that got reverted when transferred were fixed when that pokemon finally got added to a switch game

TLDR?

do you think all the people in HOME that are using pharaoh trim furfrou to flex are gonna remember to take their pokemon out in time for Legends Z-A or are we gonna witness the collapse of the HOME Trade Stock Market a la TF2 Style

[amazing-spiderling]

For the ask game: 5 14 16 31 49 50

Do you have any works where you refuse to reach a certain relationship landmark, for one reason or another?

Huh. This is kind of a strange question- I mean, I think when I start writing something, I have a pretty good idea of where I want things to end up. So if I'm not choosing to get to a certain "landmark" it's because it just wasn't right for the narrative, not because I'm choosing not to go "that far". I guess I don't often write about characters having children, either because it's not write for the story at the time/doesn't make sense, or I'm not interested in inventing some just for the sake of it. I don't have a problem with children and babies being in stories- I love to include Ellie in Spideypool stories when it makes sense, and I like the idea that Peter would be good with her.

Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you want to write in the future, but haven't yet?

Ah, so- I have a little idea simmering in a pot. It's certainly one of those, "If no one else is gonna write it I guess I have to do it!" kind of things- that's *sort* of an enemies to lovers thing? More of a rivals to lovers thing, but also with plenty of misunderstanding and identity shenanigans, so there's plenty of familiar things for me to pla with as well.

Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you enjoy reading about, but wouldn't want to write yourself? Vice versa?

To answer the latter question first, I don't really spend my time writing anything I wouldn't want to read. The closest I have come is writing fills for other people in events that are maybe not my setting/plot of choice, but it's still going to be tailored to my tastes, otherwise there's just no way it would get done. As far as tropes I like reading but wouldn't write? Hum. I don't mind a little bit of a sharper edge of cruelty/ adversarial nature in earlier chunks of a story that can get worked out as the story progresses, but I think I have a hard time channeling that myself, so I mostly worry it would fall flat. I dunno, I'm kind of a never say never person for this sort of thing.

Are there any songs that remind you of [clarified in DMs to be mattfoggy]? Are there any songs that remind them of each other?

I was kinda in my feels about "Heather" by Conan Gray while making a playlist a while back, which I think would be a decent pick if you were trying to make a mix about some serious pining, and it could probably go either way tbh. I have also been reading a lot of the older DD comics lately (80's ish I think?) where Matt is literally involved with a Heather, and Foggy and Natasha (yes, that Natasha) conspire to break them up. It all goes very poorly! Especially for poor Heather.

"I'll Still Have Me" is another song that hits me just right, and I think it's the kind of song that would have Foggy SOBBING during S3 (or y'know, any of those periods when Matt is faking his death or whatever.)

Everybody knows I'm upset, they don't even have to ask it They know I believed in us last week.

What's your favorite relationship dynamic that you've seen in another work of fiction? Has this influenced your writing at all?

I don't think I got terribly involved in shipping until, oh, college or maybe even a little after that. I consumed a lot of media that I think is popular for ships (Sailor Moon, read GO in high school, other various 90's anime, comic books) but I was always pretty content to accept whatever relationship was presented on screen or not really think about it much at all. But one of my long-time friends and I first bonded over X-Men and the buddy relationship between Wolverine and Nightcrawler, and a few years later he showed me the tanker chapter to Metal Gear Solid 2, telling me "I think you're going to like these two guys" because of my penchant for buddy bro relationships. At the time I was content to be like, "YEAH WHAT GOOD BROS" but obviously that didn't last. XD Since then, nearly all of my ships have followed the pattern of friends-to-lovers, and obviously that shows up a lot in my writing and art. (Although weirdly, while I totally GET Logan/Kurt as a ship, it just doesn't do anything for me.)

Free space! Brag on yourself! Advertise your writing! What are you most proud of recently?

Oh gosh. Well, I recently wrote a stupidly fluffy little fic for a friend called, "Keep It Simple" which is a very silly college MattFoggy story about Matt struggling to confess his feelings to Foggy while Foggy does everything he can to... help him confess. (It makes sense in context, I promise, haha.) That was a fun one to write, mostly because I got to come up with lots of silly things for Foggy to say, and I love getting to write about him being a good bro.

I'm also charging ahead with a co-writer to work on "Home's Around the Corner (It's a Long Way There)" and hopefully chapter 4 will be out before too long. (You know how it is with edits.) We only had a general idea of where we wanted the story to go when we started, but as we've written more, some interesting wrinkles and turns have cropped up and I'm having a good time with it. I think the end result will be pretty satisfying all around. :3

[jenniferchaulam]

/adding on to the previous post, short story idea (draft plot only, anws)

There is no violence, but depictions of uncomfortable stuffs so. I'd just wanted to censor this.

tags: Alhaitham, Kaveh, Wanderer has PTSD BUT I dont know if my depictions of PTSD is accurrate, please tell me if im just writing stereotypes, mentions of anesthesia awareness/surgery with no anesthesia, Wanderer has a mechanical heart, Modern-ish AU, just regular sumeru gang bonding, OOC? maybe? i did it best i could-

The world was in complete darkness. Machinery beeping. Be-beep. Be-beep. Be-beep. Lights buzzing. People mumbling incomprehensible things. Metals clanking. The smell felt sterile and clean. It felt like a thousand ants on his body.

Wanderer felt awake, but his body was not. As if a sleep paralysis demon was pressing his entire body, and he could not move an inch.

A sharp piercing pain came right as his chest. The room stench of fresh organs. The thousands of ants moved as if he was their cave. He tried to scream, to twitch, to shook off whatever was slicing him-

He jerked awake in cold sweat.

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

He can barely hold himself together as he trembly walks out his room. These nightmares are nothing new, but Wanderer can never get over them. Maybe a cup of tea will help.

"It's never happening again. Pull yourself together", he told himself. He steadies his hand, which was shaking uncontrollably. "I can not be weak".

He felt his mechanical heart pulsing through his entire body, and it made his breath slow and heavy. Nahida went to help the children's hospital, but if she was here she would have immediately notice him limping out the bunk bed the moment he was awake. Personally, Wanderer felt it is utterly embarrasing, and he would rather have a million nightmare than to sit in therapy with her at midnight.

That said, he was not the only one in this flat.

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

Kaveh needed a place to stay and finish his deadline, since his roommate thinks he's "Too noisy" for his liking. When Nahida asked if Wanderer agrees, he said he has no opinion on who she would want to host in her house. Now everytime Kaveh has to finish a deadline, he just brings Mehrak over to the flat next door, along with a bit of coffee.

So anyways, Kaveh got startled by Wanderer's very loud scream and is currently very concerned.

Wanderer groans when he got to the living room and saw a messy table with a sleep-deprived blond man.

"Are you alright, Hat Guy?", Kaveh asked without looking off his table.

No response. Wanderer is still trembling from the shock and barely wants to answer. He went straight to the cupboard for tea.

"I heard you scream, and I have to say it startled me as well. I bet Al Haitham next door could hea-"

"Wait-"

Wanderer pause. The overwhelming dread that he did not woke up quietly.

"What did you say?", he asked slowly.

Kaveh lift his eyes off his work. Hat Guy's voice sounded trembly, and he notice that the short guy is full of sweat. Like he was struggling to stand. He threw a death stare towards Kaveh.

"Ah, I'm sure its nothing". Kaveh decides its best not to worry him. "It's okay, I won't tell anyone about this either, if you're uncomfortable."

Wanderer let out a huff. At least this blondie is too friendly to tell, and this secret will be safe. He went back to looking for a mug for his tea.

A sharp stinging flashback hit when he reached out for the mug. The flickering tick of the water boiler. Be-beep. Be-beep. Be-beep.

"No, this isn't- I have used this many times-"

His chests tightens. He can't breathe. He can not breathe. A sharp knife pierce through his body. Ants. So many ants crawling. He let out a small, sharp scream. His arm and chest felt like it was being broken to pieces, just like the mug that fell of his grip.

"Ha-- Gu--?"

Sounds turned into a single ringing noise. Then it felt like constant beeping of machinery. He can hear the buzzing of the lights. Many hands were on top of him touching him in different places, and he can't move. Everything stings.

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

"Hey, Hat Guy! Oh thank archons you opened your eyes", said Kaveh while shaking him awake.

The short guy is shivering as if this room is freezing despite being in Sumeru, and his breathing is irregular. His shirt went from soaking to dripping with sweat.

"You should continue your work. I can take it from here", said another familiar male voice in green.

"Who invited you?", Wanderer scoffed at who is obviously Alhaitham.

"Yea, I thought you had earmuffs you can use to ignore everyone!", Kaveh followed up, "Get out off here!"

"And I thought your deadline was today, in 9 hours. Go back to work. It was too noisy anyways. Hat Guy screamed, and broke a mug, then scream again. Even the best earmuffs can't block those. If this happens again I can't get back to sleep."

Wanderer let out a groan. It felt like everyone knows he has a problem. That said, just like Kaveh describe, Alhaitham's attitude is similar to him. He bets this Scribe guy won't come if he didn't disturb him. This guy only cared for what benefits him.

"We have weighted blankets in our flat if you think this is PTSD", Alhaitham said while adjusting Wanderer's position. But Wanderer just kicks him instead.

"We do??????? How come I not know?"

"I have weighted blankets at MY flat if you think this is PTSD."

"I don't have PTSD", Wanderer said, while his entire body shivers uncontrollably, just to betray his words. He turned himself trying to reach the counter but with zero grip he slipped back onto the ground.

"Don't try to stand up quickly. I'm not an Amurta student, but-"

"But what, big H? What's stopping me to just stand up right now?"

Wanderer bounced himself up.

Only to quickly turn dizzy.

He hold himself at the counter-

Alhaitham ignored him struggling to stand.

"You can just follow my lead. Breathe in", he said.

"Not in a million years." Wanderer just stayed on the floor. Its not worth it if he stood up and the water boiler reminds him of anything. He turns his back against it.

"Suit yourself"

Alhaitham left Hat Guy where he was, and starts sweeping off the broken pieces of the mug. He continue to brew the tea that was left already on the counter.

The bitter smell of tea... Wanderer relaxes himself. Tiredness from lack of sleep creeps up to him, and the smell drifted him into closing his eyes.

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

Kaveh gets to continue his project, in peace. Once Hat Guy went back to sleep Alhaitham just sorta left him there. He did went and get some weighted blankets.

"Kaveh. Is there anything you know and haven't told me?",he asked while leaving the folded blankets right on the floor.

"No. You saw everything, really. He looked like he saw a ghost, yelled and jerked himself awake. I am really worried for him though."

The Scribe nods and left the flat, and Kaveh finally finished and sent his project. He went to take a peak at Hat Guy.

He was kinda left on hard cold tiles, but his face looked peaceful. Kaveh decided he won't leave him like this, and started carrying the shortie back to his bed. There was a bunk bed, so he assumes Hat Guy sleeps on the one with his giant Inazuman style head disk. He pours hot tea into a thermos, and left it next to his bed, with a note: "Hot tea - K"

Finally, Kaveh took the weighted blankets left on the floor.

When he got back however, Hat Guy was wide awake. He was panting. Hands covering his mouth and nose, preventing himself from screaming. He quickly unplugged the ticking clock and threw it away. It made a loud bang. On the side of Alhaitham's room.

"Oh, archons, Hat Guy! Are you alright?"

Hat Guy stared at Kaveh, wide-eye and full of tears.

"Here. I made tea. And some weighted blankets. I actually have no idea how these work. Just cover them over, I think."

Wanderer just did as he was told.

"Hey, don't you usually sleep with the Dendro Archon? Maybe it will be better if you just come over my flat and sleep with m-"

"You think your tiny bed can hold two people?", Alhaitham said, startling the two, "but, you do have a point. Hat Guy, if you want I can give you a sleeping rug in my flat."

He agrees.

For some reason. Just this once, three reminders is too many to bear. He wants to sleep in peace.

/////////////////////////

pt2 coming? i still have ideas i just cant write them-

[fairymint-archive]

Felix, having much more in common with Iridia, such as the attitude, the overheating, the aesthetic

and still picking Adaman be like.  Gay.

[unicyclehippo]

hey ollie!! I’ve been seeing a few… mixed reviews for this last episode, and as someone that liked it, I wanted your opinion. I’ve been hearing a lot of people call this fight ‘clumsy’ and ‘railroading’ and ‘boring’, considering the only trigger to end the fight was one specific PC doing one specific thing, and making it feel like ‘imogen is the only PC that matters, regardless of her prior reluctance in giving into her powers’ (real take I saw here on tunglr dot com). I for one was expecting a TPK followed by a group-vision, so the fact that only two are dead so far is actually doing better than anticipated. thoughts? comments? concerns?

i have happily missed all of those kinds of comments & when i stumbled on one rather harsh criticism that drifted into my world i blocked that person. i don’t rly talk about stuff like this? im more of a “lurk in the shadows & throw my writing out” person. but i have seen some ice cold takes so yeah fuck it, i’ll talk abt my impression of the episode

i really really liked it

matt has a stupidly difficult job balancing encounters for SEVEN PLAYERS. i have three players at my table & i still struggle to give them a real challenge sometimes. in my opinion, he did both the set up & the encounter brilliantly.

first of all, he set up the mythology of otohan thull in the last eight episodes or so—everything the paragons call said about her in passing, the vibes of imogen’s dreams, the fact that she was somehow in the feywild, the fact that she’s working with daleth (who WE the audience know to be Very Powerful), what ashton told the party about her being a famed warrior—& made it concrete. there is a reason she’s a famed warrior, there’s a reason she’s the head of the paragons call, there’s a reason she lunged at imogen & imogen thought she died. otohan thull is a boss level character who has the ability to kill all of them. she is Supposed to be powerful, she was set up to be powerful not just to challenge the players but also narratively. it wouldn’t make sense in the context of the world & the aggressive, martial basuras if this person wasn’t stupidly scary & stupidly proficient at murder, yknow?

secondly, the encounter. a nail biter. this one made me think of - i know people have alluded to the stress of the first vecna fight but i was thinking about raishan because that one nearly made me break my teeth clenching my jaw as hard as i did. it’s a good episode to link to (because it fucks severely & keyleth is incredible) because it’s a one-against-everyone PLUS allies & it’s one of those episodes where everyone seems to drop & get back up & by the end two revivifies were used (one failed) & they had to res ritual someone after (for those of you who don’t know, when someone has been dead for longer than a minute, they have to use the resurrection spell instead of revivify & it’s a whole extended ritual & it’s amazing RP always).

if they had fought thull tomorrow, they could have won. today was already knocked by the FCG fight, imogen used a spell to try activate the feywild shard, laudna used hunger of the shadow, fearne used heat metal & she & FCG used some healing spells too. they’d already tapped into some of their spells & abilities & then again in the chaos of the attack on the call.

if they had doubled down & fought thull & had better initiatives (though the STORY it tells of thull going first, the assassin being quicker, the person who has fought wars being scrappier & quicker on the draw) they could maybe have won. matt was saying at the end that she looked “ragged-ish” & i agree with him when he points out they spent those first vital actions running away. they didn’t know when they started that she had legendary actions/reactions. they didn’t know that she could cross this battlefield in a bonus action if she wanted to.

when you think of an encounter, it’s never just about the stats—it’s about the story. especially when it comes to matt’s world, especially when it comes to these players who balance class skills with character choices. otohan thull came out alone to fight them—she’s arrogant, but not undeservedly so, as we find out. brennan lee mulligan said the scariest encounters are the ones in which you give your bad guys a goal to complete. in this encounter, the goal was imogen—to break her, change her, recruit her? dunno—&, like everything else about otohan thull, that had been Hinted at but couldn’t be confirmed until the fight.

im gonna join this with the third point

third, concerning the idea of a dream or vision: when each encounter is a fragment of story, what does it mean that the battlefield was otherwise empty? is it just otohan’s arrogance? or does it mean something that matt didn’t describe people scurrying out of the periphery of the fight, or anyone in the building imogen tried to escape from. does the sandstorm mean anything? it didn’t have a mechanical effect in this fight when it did in the previous encounter. was that just because it died down a little or does it hint toward it being a dream/vision as people have said?

personally, i think it was real & in the immediate aftermath i did say to a friend that a dream/vision would undercut the story for me. i don’t think that anymore. dreams have been such a point of visceral terror for imogen continuously through the campaign so far that i think it would be horrifying to realise that it was a dream, to have matt play around with the limits of a dream—which is SUCH a powerful thing in the fantasy genre to use dreams as exploration or invitation or corruption, to be in dreams that are on the cusp of prophecy, dreams that are a little too real—so if that’s what they end up doing i’m totally onboard. that being said, i don’t think it is. they’ve always been direct with deaths & that sort of thing & i think that it’s a very real moment that is supposed to emphasise how they are in over their heads. orym made a very nice speech about how they’re the only ones who know the threads of what is being done & that they have to stop it—and now this. eight hours later. they’re a little group (in world, at least) of squishy scrappy adventurers & they’re getting their narrative comeuppance for hubris, & a distinct lack of caution. hardly any health potions? a healer on the fritz? very little reconnaissance? no real allies? their attention divided between personal & everything else? i think it’s real, i think it’s very deadly, & i think like molly’s death it’s going to make for a more sombre & driven party. otohan’s goal for this encounter was imogen. narratively, the goal of this encounter (i suspect we will find in the coming months) was to be a hydraulic press & squash them into one party with one goal

fourth, main character imogen. this is bullshit straight up. i could leave it there but i’ll keep going bc i love women & i’ll take any chance to defend their right to take up space & tell their stories. laura makes the most awesome characters & frankly didn’t get Huge amounts of time dedicated solely to her story line in c1 & c2. it’s cool, it’s fine, she tells amazing stories in the time she gets & is a vital part of the story they’re all writing together, but as soon as we found out that purple-eyed, anime-haired, horse girl, night-terror, lightning-handed imogen was a thing i fell to my knees & wept in gratitude with the knowledge that laura was gonna get narratively whammied & whammied Hard by matthew mercer & his plot stick this campaign, as she well deserves.

do people complain about the briarwood arc? something that revolves entirely around percy’s backstory? or is it so beloved that they made a whole animated series about it? on a smaller scale—because of nott, the mighty nein left the empire & trekked into xhorhas; because of fjord, the mighty nein went & became pirates & explored sunken ruins, or went to uthodurn & nearly fought a dragon to make him a cool sword.

characters get their time to shine. it can’t always be about everyone all the time—matt gives a player a gift & the whole table comes together to react to that gift, following the player it was intended for. that’s the fun of storytelling together, that’s the fun of building characters & handing it over to your DM, the expectation that for a session, a couple of sessions, a small arc, you are the main character. your story matters. that’s what this is for imogen/laura—it’s at once a story beat for everyone, one of those pivotal moments where they realise they’re outmatched, but it’s also a turning point for imogen where we don’t know where she goes next. im sure that it also functions as a way for matt to introduce whatever lore he has about ruidis born up his sleeve for us.

hope this answered all your questions, i enjoyed ranting about it! i have just woken up so forgive me for any glaring errors