#Stairway Developers

[hellaverse-reimagined]

Remember when I mentioned wanting to base my Alastor off of a Rougarou (bayou werewolf)...

Itse happening....

vvv my setup

[galacticlamps]

I don't want to get too caught up on semantics but I have to say I really feel like it's an unfair reading of the situation to call what Charles does in the Staircase Scene a "rejection."

I've already talked about how I think that scene's strength lies in the act of telling itself and Edwin's confession as the conclusion of his self-discovery arc. And I understand how the fact that that arc involved things like sexuality & attraction left it open to being viewed under a sort of romance-plot-specific lens, but evaluating the whole thing on that criteria still feels like a misrepresentation.

I don't think Edwin is saying "Love me" in that scene. Maybe he would've been asking for that, if this had all happened under different circumstances - and sure, generally, he'd presumably like that to happen - but it'd still be a kind of insane request for him to make right as he's being literally rescued from hell. (Especially since, even though the audience & Charles can both see the rescue as so in-character we might take it for granted, Edwin clearly didn't, if his consistently surprised confused & appalled reactions to Charles being there are anything to go by). I think he's feeling very loved already at that point, and I have a hard time believing desperation to simply have that reiterated is what drove him to speak up at such an inopportune moment.

I think what he's really saying there is "Hear me" - and as a listener and a confidant, Charles does anything but reject him. Maybe it's splitting hairs a bit, but if the distinction between "please don't turn me down" and "please understand the person in front of you" matters anywhere, it's in relation to Charles' response because he is so accepting of the confession as a confession. Not only does he take what Edwin tells him well, despite it being the sort of thing that might rock the foundation of the most important relationship in his existence, he also accepts the fact that Edwin is in such a vulnerable and worked up state that he has to do it right now despite it endangering them both. Charles would, truthfully, be totally justified in mostly ignoring it or passing over it quickly and inconclusively, insisting that this wasn't the time or place - but instead everything he says and does in that scene is geared toward giving Edwin's announcement the attention & understanding he needs so badly - and that includes responding with honesty about his own feelings, even if they might not otherwise be exactly what you'd want to hear after declaring your love for someone. Charles takes his time (perhaps foolishly, but certainly necessarily) and gives Edwin a response that is warm and familiar, while also being kind, affectionate, open, serious, and above all correspondingly worthy of the weight of the thing Edwin has just entrusted him with. That seems an awful lot to pass over simply because he doesn't also happen to be in love with him too.

Edwin's confession is so not a come-on that whether or not Charles reciprocates the romantic element is, at best, secondary to his overall reaction, and using that piece of it to call the whole thing a rejection feels like a very inaccurate shorthand to get in the habit of using as a summary of his role in the scene.

[scootatwoni]

I wanna extend some sympathy to console players/backers of coral island because yeah it genuinely sucks. Not everyone has access to or can afford a computer to run the game, so the dev's offer for a steam key isn't the best resolution. It's frustrating for sure!

But at the same time (and emphasis on that these two statements can be true at the same time) I'm seeing a lot of people in the community going waaaay too hard on a small dev team that just lost their publisher.

Ofc I'm not an expert on this stuff, so I encourage you to do your own research into this, but here's the jist that I think a lot of people need to consider:

Humble handled the console ports (as is typical for publishers) and it seems like they haven't bothered to give Stairway the backend permissions. And until they can get another publisher (assuming that's the route they take) this team of 25 people is now responsible for that on top of development.

I think it's completely understandable that stairway games is scrambling right now on what to do.

Console players and backers, please extend a bit of sympathy and patience to the team as they figure things out. Because they are working on it.

There is no justification to jump the gun and call the team scammers or liars or other awful things when this is still developing news.

Based on stairway's positive track record of open communication and transparency (where NDAs allow it) I don't doubt they'll figure out a solution, we just need to be patient.

[irrevasazim]

🔮 The Hermit & The Stairway to Heaven ✨

As you winded on down the road has your shadow ever felt taller than your soul? Seek out the white light and it will show how everything still turns to gold. In today's tidbit you will learn how to be a rock and not to roll, and follow the Hermit up the Stairway To Heaven. Tarot featured, in order of appearance: Rider Tarot by Waite & Smith Tarot Mucha by Weatherstone, Filadoro, Massaglia & Nosenzo Pulp Tarot by Todd Alcott Thoth Tarot by Crowley & Lady Harris Music Provided by RingingPyramid‬ Come join your friendly neighborhood Satanist for a tarot reading LIVE on Twitch evenings 7PM-11PM EST

[ahyperactivehero]

REASONS TO WATCH DEAD BOY DETECTIVES

ALSO! if you follow me on here and somehow haven't watched dead boy detectives yet, I am BEGGING you to do so! we need all the streams we can get to try and save this show. I have no way of repaying you, other than knowing you will be making a mutual very, very happy.

reasons why you should watch it:

Dead Boy Detectives is a wonderfully, unquestionably queer show. Most of the main/reoccurring characters are queer, with the others who aren't being very queer coded.

It feels like old school Supernatural or Buffy but made for today's audience and queer. Add in the mystery/detective aspect and you've got the perfect recreation of SuperWhoLock my friend, all in one show.

Actors/Writers from Supernatural also worked on this. Everyone knows the wonderful Ruth Connell who played Rowena on Supernatural! And Steve Yockey was a writer/producer for some great episodes of Supernatural. There's also everyone's favorite trickster angel, Richard Speight Jr, who directed one of the best episodes of television ever in Dead Boy Detectives called The Case of the Very Long Stairway.

While this show is wonderful for the romantic aspect of it, it is- at it's heart, a show about love and acceptance. Edwin's journey of self-discovery and his queer identity is not one you see every day on TV, but it is done so well! Each one of the characters have such interesting, fully developed arcs that really tie together the fact that they are all just teens who the world would rather forget about, but they won't let it. Not as long as they are around, they will always have someone who remembers them.

Dead Boy Detectives deserves to continue. It deserves to finish telling the story they set out to. It deserves to be remembered.

[bayoubashsims]

I've finished developing 4/7 of the Murking Islands.

Station Island, an abandoned research station from 30 years ago. Fenced in, but the people who constructed it neglected to remember that the semi-aquatic creatures could climb. Home to the ghosts of the researchers and their experiments.

Mission Island, the largest island, featuring swampland. Peteran missionaries settled there in 1700, but did not survive. The sunken church remains as a warning for all incoming ships, other than the large amount of shipwreck. Home of a toad Sim and the ghosts of the missionaries.

Stairway Island, where the Ziggurat of the Shallow Ones is located. A sacred site for the amphibious creatures, the ziggurat was built by an ancient civilization that used to rule the seas. The side of the island is populated by the Shallow Ones.

Shallow Isle, a large settlement of the Shallow Ones where most of the clan and the Chief Shallow One resides.

I only need to finish the Swallow Isle, the Crab Isle, and the Hermit's Isle.

[honey-skulls]

Musing about the trailer

Is this the original design of the purge event that got modified over the years of development, or are we going to go back there at some point?

And this

This is the item the other Ena has in the cave, the one in the little window, where she disappears if you look away and look back

Screenshots from this out of bonds video

(Also a note that the hourglass dog is drinking the holy code at the bottom)

Is this about what the shaman said about being in two places at once, but also only one place at once, because he would be lost in the other person's mind? That Ena got? Maybe later she'll pull out this object and say she got it earlier, but from our pov she never did, but this other Ena was the one who did while we were doing something else?

And this bit

It's not the same hand, but the movement, size etc, can't be a coincidence

And while I'm on the ending scene, i completely missed this???

Ena glitches into series!Ena for one frame

Is this more truth to all Enas existing at once, connected across the mannequins ?

With how the witch said that Ena gave her the motherboard while on holiday, but saying it like it was someone else, it seems like everyone knows that all Enas are the same person, but also multiple people, with how the temptation stairway shepard says "another Ena troublemaker"

[fishfooddude]

ThankGallagher

Lip Gallagher x Reader

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all that celebrate it.

I just really fuck with college-era Lip. I think this is also somewhat turning into a series...

Shameless MasterList

Directory

“And that’s the answer.” Professor Youens said, putting his chalk down and sending an exacerbated look around the room. You chuckled and quickly scribbled down the information in your notebook. Class ended, and you put your notebook in your backpack. As you got up, you felt someone staring at you. You knew it was Lip. Since your impromptu   Halloween-record-listening-awkward-conversation-high-sexual-tension hangout, you’d wanted to spend some more time with him. Your roommate warned you that Lip “got around” and told you to be careful with him, “Guys from the South side only want one thing, Y/N. Be careful.” 

“Hey, Lip.” you greeted as you walked toward the front of the lecture hall. 

“Listened to that playlist you sent me… it was interesting…” Lip joshed, making you roll your eyes in response.

“Well, thanks for listening to it. I have a question for you,” you cautiously asked as you pushed your hands into the pocket of your hoodie. Your lips shot you a curious look, and you swallowed. “Wanna hang out again?”

“We gonna listen to Chappel Roan again?” 

“If you wanna…”

Lip shrugged as he leaned against the wall, “Might wanna hear somethin’ else.” 

“Like what?” you humored him, not sure if it was a sexual innuendo or not.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…”

~

After classes that day, you went back to your dorm and got ready to hang out with Lip at his dorm. An upside of Lip being an RA for his floor was that he had a private room. Your roommate had made her dislike of him very apparent, so when she walked into your room to see you doing your makeup, she stopped to size you up. “You’re awfully dressed up for a Thursday night.” 

You rolled your eyes and dug through your makeup bag, looking for lip gloss. “I’m not dressed up.” 

“Yeah, you are. Where’s that tattered-up Metalica shirt?” she laughed as she dropped her backpack on her bed and went to her closet. “You got a date or somethin?” 

You stopped what you were doing and bit your lip. You were caught, “I’m hangin’ out with Lip…” 

“Girl.” 

“Just because you’re from Chicago and ‘know his type’ doesn’t mean he’s that kind of person.” you retaliated, “According to your logic, he shouldn’t even be in college, but here he is. Maybe he’s different, and I think you’re being overly judgemental.”

She scoffed, “Just remember to use a condom.” she was quick to walk out of the dorm, making sure to slam the door. You sighed and finished your makeup before slipping on a pair of shoes.

~

You knocked on Lip’s door before pushing your hands into the pocket on the front of your hoodie. The door opened, and a woman in a plain black hoodie with a baseball hat and sunglasses slipped out and quickly headed down the hall, pretending not to see you. Taken aback, you watched as she opened the door to the stairway; who was that? Your attention was returned to Lip’s door when you felt his presence looming over you. His hair was messy, and his cheeks were flushed. You noticed a sheen of sweat over his face and exposed shoulders and collarbone. His white tank top did little to hide the dark red, still developing purple hickey at the base of his neck. “Hey.” Lip greeted awkwardly. 

“Forgot I was comin’ over?” you said as your gaze dropped to the floor. Lip cleared his throat and stepped aside, opening the door wider for you to enter. You sighed and scurried in against your better judgment. You noticed the unmade bed and a pair of lace panties half under his bed. “You know, I should leave… I’m going home for Thanksgiving.” 

“You can stay for a bit.” Lip countered as he closed the door. You sighed and turned to look at him, “This looks bad-”

“Lip. I can’t do this right now.” you brought your hands to your face, hoping the tears that threatened to fall from your eyes wouldn’t. Your roommate was right, after all. As you tried to walk past him, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you flush to his chest.

“Hey. We don’t gotta do anything. Let’s hang out.” Lip mumbled, making you roll your eyes.

“No Lip. I’ll just see you in Youens.” you pushed against his chest, and his arm dropped. You opened the door and quickly walked out of his dorm, embarrassment, and stupidity washing over you as you ran out of the building.

[elodieunderglass]

📻 Any Killiverse character you feel like hasn't gotten enough attention yet!

(OC ask meme - choose a random song from their playlist)

I think this girl! Suraiya! It's my own fault, I haven't developed her enough. Most of the characters in the Killieverse are extremely longstanding to me and very well-marinated, but Suraiya turned up in 2024 because there needed to be a Charlie counterweight in the Killie-Charlie-Derek-however-the-heck-we're-doing-this nerd-competition thing. I realised that she's much younger than her foil Charlie - somewhere in her 20s - and that I think her relationship with Charlie makes her braver and stronger in her own personality, while she probably gives Charlie some kind of midlife crisis.

I think she's probably Going Through some very 20-something type development and problems, and because of this ask, I chose Emmy the Great - pilot and voice of my own problems when I was a 20-something - and randomly ended up with "atoms". I used to LOVE "atoms"

So don’t begrudge a girl her books cos they’re all a girl has got They sit there now The words unflinching in their strength You see I only ever read Cos I wish I was brave as them And I know these words will never leave me standing on the stairs Just like my frozen ancestors they always will be there In print, just like your image on my heart For ever like the planets light the dark Just like our world is waltzing with the sun Just like when this world explodes it makes another one Oh you, just leave I always wanted you to be free But next time you see the planets try and think of me And this moment on a stairway where I thought that I could see All the atoms in your lover, she’s much prettier than me And can I help it if an atom makes me cry? I can’t help it if she’s happier than I

Well! there we are! Maybe I'll work out who she is by making her playlist first!

[kt1018]

Not Looking for a Hero.

Part two.

MASTERLIST

If you haven’t read Part One - please go back and read for context. This is a SLOW BURN. Part One enters you into the story. Here in Part Two it is very much story building for background and relationships history. That is why it might be a bit obnoxiously long :)

After this we’ll be able to get into more development of Rafe and Reader.

Warnings : Language and references to cheating. Very light sexual discussion. Drinking and drugs. Mentions of death and loss.

This is Rafe Cameron x Y/N (female) Reader 18+

Your room was up in the renovated attic space, so the tree cover around your windows allowed for some late mornings. You slept in as long as you could before the sun hit you in bed.

You needed that today.

Being on the top floor allowed for some peace and quiet from the usually loud house below.

You and your four brothers lived in your childhood home right on the marsh. It was the safest place you could be. A little separate from everything else. As if it was a world all to yourselves.

Your dad hadn’t been in the picture since right before your younger brother was born, even then you wouldn’t have considered him there to begin with.

Then, your mom. She passed away 5 years ago and your eldest brother Aaron, 20 at the time, took guardianship of the younger siblings.

None of you wanted to be separated.

None of you wanted to lose the house.

Lose that world.

So you stuck together.

In spite of the terrible circumstance that had you there, the five of you functioned like a well oiled machine. The house was taken care of by your mom and money from her allowed for you all to keep it running. It helped relieve any added stress that would have usually come with that kind of loss.

Aaron had taken over the fishing and charter business your mother’s parents had built in OBX over two decades ago. ‘OBX Family Charters’ brought in money that took care of all the extras for your family. It was one of the leading distributors to local businesses and a hit with tourists.

Successful enough to keep you in this middle ground between Kook and Pouge.

The twins, Jack and Isaac, now help run the day to day operations. You and the youngest, Danny, help out when you can. Your older brothers do make it a point for Danny to enjoy being a kid and for you to appreciate your final free summer without too many responsibilities.

You were tossing a little, fighting the unwanted urge to wake up, when there was a light knock on your door.

“Y/N? You awake?” You heard your younger brother mumble from the stairway.

“Yeah Dan. Come in.” You turned on your side to face the door as he entered holding a cup of coffee in a peace offering gesture.

Smiling, you pat the side of the bed and scoot over to make some room. Danny placed the cup on your side table and filled the newly empty space, laying on his opposite side to face you.

He studied your face over as if he knew everything just from looking. Danny was probably your best friend and he always knew when something was bothering you.

“You strolled in pretty late last night. Did Elliot drop you off?” His brow creased as if he already knew the answer and expected you to lie.

You could tell too. “No.” You sigh. “Elliot did not drop me off.”

An awkward pause settled between you two.

Danny’s eyes rolled heavily from one side to the other. “Are we going to play 20 questions to get to the end? Because you know I will. I’ve got all day. OR… you could just tell me what happened and why you hopped out of Rafe Cameron’s truck at almost 3 in the morning.” He placed his hands under the side of his face like he did when he was younger, begging for a story.

You sigh again and roll onto your back to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t really want to get into it right now Danny I-.”

“Ah ah. What better way to process than to tell your brother? Take advantage now, it’s early so my empathy tank is still full.” He nudged your shoulder before putting his hand back under his cheek.

You exhaled as much air as you could hoping to deflate or disappear. You couldn’t deny he was right. Talking about things with him, well more at him because he’s 15, always did help in the end. You were going to have to start talking about it at some point, it wasn’t going away.

“Okay. Fine. Straight to the end then. I decided to go to Topper’s party and… Elliot was there…” You paused and turned back to face him to make sure you saw the full judgement that would inevitably be displayed across his face. “With another girl… getting really close, to say it nicely.” You shift your mouth to one side pausing for the audible gasps you anticipated from your audience.

Danny could tell you were waiting for a reaction, even though you knew he strongly disliked Elliot from the beginning and didn’t need to continue repeating that fact. Especially in this moment. So he chose humor instead.

“So when you saw that, you dumped a drink on him.” You shook your head no. “You slapped him in front of everyone?” Another no shake. “You screamed, caused a huge scene and now you're hiding out in this room forever to avoid further public humiliation?” A chuckle finally slipped out from you.

“No. I quietly backed up, made sure my presence was not known and scurried away like a coward.” You shrugged. Feeling like a bigger idiot saying it outloud and for not standing up for yourself, again.

“Right.” Danny nodded. “First of all, not cowardly. I can see how maybe addressing it when he clearly wasn’t in the place to make solid life choices, wasn’t the move." A malicious grin spread over his face. "Ah, now to the juicy part of the story, you ending up with Rafe Cameron?”

Your eyes switch over to the chair across the room. Rafe’s sweatshirt was hanging over the back. You think about how he just offered it up without you needing to ask. A smile comes and goes before you start talking again.

“My phone died and I started to walk home. Rafe happened to be the first person to drive by. He offered me a ride and I took it.” You say casually as you sit up, reaching over Danny to grab the cooled down coffee.

He looked up at you as you sipped. “Well that was decent of him. Wouldn’t want you ending up like someone on one of Isaac’s TV shows.”

“My thoughts exactly and mainly why I said yes.” You continued drinking.

Sitting up, he patted your blanket covered leg. “Don’t hide away in here all weekend, okay? That douche doesn’t deserve you wasting any more of your time on him. I know you liked him and it hurts. But I don’t want you spending more on him than he did on you throughout this whole relationship okay?” He looked over at you with concern. “If you want to talk more I’m here. Just promise you won’t isolate yourself.”

You leaned over and hugged him with your free arm. “Thanks. I promise I won’t. I’m going to Carter’s house soon. But thank you for checking on me.”

You push his shoulder so he moves his way off the bed and towards the door. “Had to. Who knows how long you would’ve laid here if no one came up.” He sarcastically chuckles.

“Oh spare me.” You toss one of your pillows in his direction.

Danny laughs dodging it, walking out the door “Love you too.” He shuts the door behind him.

Alone with your thoughts again. You run your index finger along the rim of your mug. Your brain is bouncing all over the place thinking of what to do.

Not what you ultimately have to do.

You have to end it officially for yourself. Elliot is clearly over it.

Just how.

Do you ask him to meet?

Or just send the I’m done text and avoid dragging this on?

You always thought the idea of ending things through a text was a low move. However, Elliot sure went lower than you expected.

You put your mug down and pulled your phone from the charger. It was still off from the night before. You held your breath and the power button at the same time, not knowing how much would pop up once it turned on.

Or worse, what wouldn’t.

You toss it on your mattress while it powered on and went to the bathroom. You did your morning skin and hair routine before heading back to see what waited for you.

A mixture of hurt and realization flooded over you.

There was nothing from Elliot.

Maybe staying quiet was just the way to go with him. Opening that door so he could have the chance to comment back would probably just infuriate you more.

Topper had texted asking if you had been at the party because some people swore they saw you at one point. You’ll get back to him later.

There was a missed call from Ruthie, that would continue to go unresponded to. She definitely just wanted to rub your nose in this a bit more. You never really got along with her from the start. When Topper ended things with her, she didn’t take you staying friends with him very well.

Your sibling group chat had a few messages back and forth. Nothing that required immediate attention.

Lastly, there was one from Rafe.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

“Figured I’d follow up with my first hitchhiker. If you were to give a review… 5 stars?”

You smirk slightly. “2. Maybe 3 tops.”

The chat bubbles immediately popped up on his end. “Ouch. I thought there would be some extra points at least for the after hours and the complimentary sweatshirt services.”

The smirk grew into a smile now. “Those extra points were already factored in ;)”

Again his chat bubble immediately showed and it gave you a flutter you couldn’t control. “I see the sass is still intact. That’s a good sign.”

“No one can take my sass away. That’s engraved into my bones.”

A second text from him came through before you had a chance to hit send on yours. “Seriously tho. You should make sure to order a ride next time before ending up alone in the dark like that.”

“So… is this you offering unlimited pick ups?”

“I would but I don’t want you thinking I’m out here trying to be your personal hero or anything. Maybe a real rideshare next time.”

“Giving up the rescuer life so easily? :) Well my phone died and I needed to escape quickly. Options were limited.”

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

You sat there tapping the side of your phone watching for his text bubble, anticipating another buzz.

Nothing.

After a minute you got up and decided waiting for another guy was not going to be how you spent today of all days.

You grab your bag and you slip on a pair of sandals that were sitting on the top landing of the stairs right outside your door.

Once you got downstairs, you found Danny and Isaac sitting in the living room watching some crime show.

“Hello gentlemen.” You plop down on the sofa next to Isaac and lean your head on his shoulder.

“You know I don’t understand. Every episode shows how these people make these decisions that always get them into terrible situations. Such as, I don't know, death. I would never make the mistakes they’ve made.” Isaac frustratedly pointed at the TV.

You and Danny threw each other a glance and a chuckle.

“Isaac, you’re seriously blaming these people because they hadn’t previously watched 100s of hours of crime TV to ensure they didn’t become victims of whatever happened to them?” Danny said with the most confusion present in his tone.

“All I’m saying is they have unlimited access to learn from people's past mistakes and they don’t.” Isaac shrugged.

“Right.” You patted Isaac’s arm. “I’m not going to stick around for this exciting conversation. I’m headed to Carter’s. Buh bye.”

They both mumbled their goodbyes while not taking their eyes off the screen.

Your mom’s old, now off white, one bench truck sat in the driveway waiting for you. You were really the only one who used it and you preferred it that way. It sort of kept you connected to her. Something shared just between the two of you.

You had both windows down and your arm twisting in the breeze as you headed towards Carter’s house.

Carter was your closest friend, your best friend outside of your brothers, and she was one of OBX’s dubbed Kook princesses.

She never acted like it though.

Her position or wealth never altered the genuine person she was. You admired that. Especially seeing how easily she could’ve gone the other direction, like Ruthie or Elliot.

Carter was someone who took her friendships seriously. Which is why you knew going to her would help you solve your next step problem. Or at the very least distract you long enough to where you would no longer care.

When you arrived, Carter was lounging by the pool with a pitcher of drinks you were more than ready to help finish.

“Ah, there she is.” Carter sat up to pour you a glass and top off hers. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” She smiled up as she pushed your glass towards you on the table.

You let your dress slip off revealing your all white bikini. “You’ve been waiting for me, have you?” Winking as you took a seat in the lounge chair beside her.

“Oh this little world is all a buzz about Elliot Coin and his new summer fling. Figured you’d be around eventually. You okay?” She relaxed back against the chair to let you take over steering the conversation.

“I’m just feeling dumb right now.” You take a large sip of your drink and lean your head back against your chair. “I had all of these moments over the last few months and ignored them instead of doing something about it. Now I’m here.”

Carter got visibly annoyed. “Hey. Not going to happen. We’re not going to sit here and stir up some ridiculous reason that this is your fault. It’s not. No matter what signals you think you ignored, that does not excuse the shit he’s pulled.”

You attempt a believable smirk in response. “I just can’t believe myself. I should’ve listened and ended this a long time ago. Now I don’t even know how to go about that.”

“First step is to finish these margaritas with me. Then we’re going to go find something to do to enjoy this beautiful day." Carter waved her hands as if she was presenting the world to you. "Whatever you want. Surfing and a beach hang maybe? If and only if you’re feeling better, then we’ll think more about that little shit and what to do. My opinion is silence is the best response. Men HATE when they don’t get to feed off of an emotional response.” She raises her glass and you match.

“I knew you’d be the right one to help with this. My thoughts are just too all over the place.” You giggle and take another drink. “A beach day sounds perfect.”

“It’s a plan then. Who knows, maybe we’ll find some boys worth our time there.” She finishes off her glass and pours one more.

You hold up your hand to stop and correct her. “Men. No more boys. I’m not wasting time on someone else who doesn’t know what they want or how to treat me. Or fucks around because they think they can.”

Carter hums happily at that. “You are absolutely right.”

You finish your drinks and throw your dresses back on. You both throw your boards and supplies in the back of your truck before heading off.

Carter turns on the radio so you both can loudly and poorly sing along to one of the playlist she so proudly created. The drive was short so you didn’t get through too many songs before pulling into the beach lot.

You headed for a free spot and set up. There weren't too many people there so you were able to have some distance and privacy. Carter set the playlist up again on the portable speaker and you laid the blankets out.

You headed out into the waves right away. They weren’t too massive today, so you were in for a relaxed session.

You both hit a couple of perfect waves and are waiting for the next set before you hear some voices. Then those voices are followed by a couple of heads bobbing out towards you.

Topper and Rafe.

Your breath hitches for a moment, knowing that the subject you’ve been skillfully avoiding all morning will now be a main topic of conversation.

“Afternoon ladies.” Topper says sitting up on his board in front of you and Carter. Rafe followed. As he sat up, his eyes fixed on you. The blue in them pierced right through you. You didn’t break focus on him until Carter spoke.

“Boys.” She said side-eying you to ensure you picked up on the joke. You did and it gained a feathered giggle from you.

“How’s it been out here?” Rafe threw out casually. He floated closer to your side.

“Not too bad. Low swells. Not a lot of speed. Should be easy for you to handle.” You sarcastically tossed in his direction.

“Well baby if you can handle it, so can I.” He tapped your knee before turning away. You roll your eyes as Rafe lays on his board to set up for the next oncoming wave. He turned back with a wink before paddling into.

You smile without thinking and immediately feel flush.

No.

You are not going to fall into the Rafe Cameron trap. He knew what was going on with you and he was most likely only looking to take advantage of that.

You weren’t going to allow that.

“So…” Topper starts. “...last night was interesting.” He pauses, not looking directly at you.

You’ve been rolling your eyes so much today, you’re not sure they won’t fall out of your head soon. “I really don’t want to talk about this here Top.”

“I’m sorry. I just feel partly responsible, you know. He’s my cousin.” Topper lowered his head in what appeared to be embarrassment.

“Topper, what Elliot does is not your fault. It’s not my fault either. You and I… we’re good.” You try to convince not only him but yourself. It truly isn’t either of your faults. You just do not want to discuss this.

“I just want you to know I do not support what he did and I lost it on him when I saw. I’m just sorry Y/N.” Topper smiled nervously waiting for you to respond.

“Don’t do anything on my behalf. But I do appreciate it, Top. Again we’re fine. Let’s just hang and enjoy the day okay?” You smile more convincingly this time.

“All for that Y/N.” He smiled, setting up for his own wave. Leaving you and Carter alone again briefly.

“Well at least that potential awkward moment is over and wasn’t too painful.” She sent a little splash in your direction.

You send one back and a full true smile spreads across your face. It was a feeling of relief to have that part over and know that your friendships won’t be hurt because of it all.

Carter heads off on another wave and you’re alone. You lift your face to meet the warmth of the sun. You sat there with your eyes closed for what felt like forever when Rafe’s voice brought you back.

“You out here to surf or tan princess?” He pulls up right next to you. Close enough that your knees almost brush and you could feel the hair on your arms stand up.

You brought your face down to meet his eyes and stopped again at the sight of how bright the blue of his eyes looked reflecting the water. You didn’t realize how long you were speechless until Rafe’s brow started to tighten.

You snap back into the moment. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" he responds quickly.

"That princess crap. I've watched you use that name on girls too many times. Don't pull that with me." He laughs and you scowl.

Rafe moved a little close to reach over to you and brushed something from your cheek. You froze at his touch. After a moment Rafe cleared his throat. "Are you still there?"

You side eye him to hopefully deter him from realizing why you paused for so long. You didn’t need to add to his already overly grown ego. "I was just giving you the opportunity to take another wave and catch up. But if you’re looking to take it easy.” You shrug at him and take the next wave to remove yourself quickly. No need to further embarrass yourself.

You can hear Rafe chuckle as you leave.

You decide stop after that one and head back to the blankets. Carter and Topper were already cracking open some beers.

Topper opens an extra and holds it up to you. “For you my lady.” He’s being overly nice and you hope it’ll stop soon.

“Okay don’t over do it now.” You laugh and take a seat on the other side of Carter, leaning back on your elbows.

“You guys up for doing anything later?” Topper throws out after a brief silence. “We should find something. Or we can all just chill at my house?”

You hesitate to answer. You and Carter share a look. Topper’s house is also where Elliot is staying. “I’m not really sure that’s a great idea Top.”

“What’s not a great idea?” Rafe is setting down his board before crawling down onto the blanket right in front of you. Leaning on his left arm, his face was now sitting very close to your bent legs. Too close. You lower them to stretch out past him, giving you some space.

Carter cuts in as she’s handing Rafe a beer. “Topper suggested we hang at his house tonight but with recent events…” She paused, glancing to you.

You keep your eyes down as you pick at the label on your beer bottle.

Rafe takes a swig from his beer and licks his bottom lip. He looked up to you, seeing you still not looking up. “Why don’t we go out on my boat instead? I know a spot where it's chill to anchor and stay a night or two.”

You look up now and glance to Carter and she’s already staring back at you. It’s clear her answer will follow whatever you want to do.

“Well…” You pause. Looking around again, all three of them are staring at you now. “Oh wow okay. I guess it could be fun. Sure.” They all start smiling.

Topper lifts up his beer. “Hell yeah. Let’s party people.” You and Carter reluctantly cheers to that. Rafe does not participate.

Carter pushes Topper's forehead to knock him back. “Please stop.”

You all start laughing and you peek over at Rafe, whose eyes are again locked on you. You mouth thank you to him, he returns with a nod and a smile.

“Okay my darling it’s almost 3. If we’re going to be out all night we need to go home and prepare.” Carter finishes her beer and throws her dress over her head. “Y/N, let’s get going.” She curls her pointer finger calling you to get up.

“Yes ma’am.” You finish your drink and throw your dress on too. Topper and Rafe stand up to help you guys pick up your stuff so you can head out.

Topper is walking ahead of you with Carter as she rattles off a list of things she is going to bring. You smile knowing she’ll most likely forget one or five things from said list.

“You know…” Rafe’s voice again snaps through your thoughts. “If you want I can grab you on the way to the marina?”

“Trying to get another shot at a better review?” You shove him a little with your shoulder and it knocks him a little harder than you anticipated.

“Woah! Easy there. I’ll take back my offer.” He laughs, regaining his balance.

You decide to play in, you know he’s not serious. “Oh but please sir. However will I get there?” You close your eyes and place the back of your hand against your forehead in a distressed way.

There’s no response, so you slowly open your right eye. Rafe’s still walking beside you but he’s rubbing his thumb and index finger along his chin. You open both eyes now and shoot an unimpressed look at him. “Really?” You say dryly.

“Just trying to decide if it would be worth stopping for you and your attitude.” He dropped his hand and shrugged. “Nah.” He glances left at you with a full size grin plastered across his face.

Without knowing you start blushing from being locked into his smile and you have to turn your head quickly to avoid him noticing.

“Fine.” You say now facing the brush. “I can fend for myself.” You don’t turn back to him, but you can feel him still staring.

Before another exchange you all exit the path to the parking lot.

Topper’s jeep was parked next to your truck so you all toss your things into your respective cars.

You can see out of the corner of your eye Rafe still slightly grinning, that caused more blushing in your face.

“So we’ll see you guys at 5? Head out of the dock from there?” Topper was standing on the driver’s side door frame talking over the roof of his car.

Carter paused getting into your truck and leaned on the bed. “Sounds good to me. Y/N?”

“Works for me too.” You say as you open your driver’s door. You move back a bit to allow the door to pass in front of you.

That’s when you felt Rafe right behind you and he leaned down slightly to whisper in your ear. “And I’ll get you at 4:30.”

The flush in your cheeks deepend. “I don't think I said yes to your offer.”

You look up to meet his eyes and he grabs your door while you climb in. Once you are fully in your seat, Rafe closes the door for you and leans in through the window.

"4:30." He said again before hopping in Topper’s car.

They pull away first as you start your truck.

“What. The hell. Was that?” Carter said with a mixture of shock and intrigue.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You say avoiding her gaze and throwing the car in reverse.

“Bullshit. Your face is still red.” Crossing her arm, you knew she wasn’t going to drop it.

“He just offered to pick me up. I’m on his way.” You pass off casually.

“That’s what caused you to turn into a tomato? He had to have said something else to you.” Clearly Carter was not convinced.

“I’m red because it’s like 90 outside. And he didn’t say anything to me. We're usually bickering, he’s being nicer today. Though it is starting to feel a little too nice. I can't tell if it's pity or he wants to hook up.” You nod to yourself.

“If you say so. Just be careful. Once Rafe gets under your skin I hear it’s hard to get him out.” Carter giggled at the thought.

“He is not getting anywhere near or under my skin, Carter. Drop it.” You said firmly, you were done with this conversation. Thankfully, you were pulling into her driveway.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I know shits weird right now. I just want you to be careful. He is easy on the eyes, but don't forget he is also Rafe Cameron." She leaned her head on the headrest looking over at you. “Are you sure you’ll have a good time tonight? We don’t have to go.”

“No, I’ll be fine. I want to try and have fun.” You rest your head back too and face towards her. “I promise. Remember, men who know what they want. We know Rafe doesn't. Everything will be fine.” You put on the biggest, cheesiest smile you can make.

Carter mimics you. “Okie doke. I’ll see you later then.” She leaned across and kissed your cheek. Then grabbed all of her stuff and once she was inside you headed home.

All four of your brothers were downstairs when you walked in. Danny was helping Jack make food in the kitchen. Aaron was in the living room arguing with Isaac about what to watch on TV.

You smiled at the sight.

“Y/N!” Jack shouted from across the room. “You home for the night? Want some of this food?”

“I’m home for a little bit. Going out on a friend's boat overnight, maybe for the weekend. If it’s done soon I’ll take some?” You head towards the staircase.

“Oh fancy, a boat trip. Sounds fun.” Aaron said without looking up.

“Who’s boat?” Danny asked again with his usual inquisitive tone.

You pause and turn back to him. “Rafe’s.” All four of them snap their heads at you. Your eyes roll again. You know the insinuation their faces were implying. “I’m not going alone. There’s going to be a few of us out there. Relax.”

This time you take advantage and escape upstairs and avoid further questions.

You grab a duffle bag and start packing some things you’ll need for the weekend.

Toiletries.

Bathing suits.

Large shirt to sleep in.

Clothes for the next few days.

A book for the morning, just in case you can’t sleep in.

You double check to make sure you don’t need anything else packed before hopping in for a quick shower to rinse the beach off.

Once you’re dry you throw on a pair of jean shorts and a black strapless top. You decide to let your hair air dry. It naturally gives off blonde beach waves and seems easier for the activity ahead.

You take a look at your phone for the time and see it’s almost 4:30. So you pick up your bag, as you’re heading downstairs you grab your white slides and a sweatshirt from the stair landing.

You join Jack in the kitchen. Danny had abandoned the cause and moved in on the video game the other two seemed to have compromised on.

“There she is.” Jack said with a calming smile. “Hungry?”

You shake your head no, while taking a cucumber out of the salad. “Not really.” You scrunch your nose in a teasing way as you take another cucumber. He threw a dish towel in retort.

“You doing alright?” His tone shifted to serious concern.

“I think so. For now at least. Today was a good distraction. I think it’ll be easy to get past this in a way. It’s been sorta building up to this for a while .” You shrug, taking a seat on a stool across the island from him.

Jack points the knife he was cutting with in your direction. “That’s good. That little shit is lucky we don’t go find him.”

“Alright, relax. He is not worth it.” There’s a knock at the front door, but you don’t fully acknowledge it. “I think I’m going the ignore him route."

“Ah classic.” Jack said with light applause.

“Ignoring who?” Rafe questioned walking into the kitchen. One of your brothers must have let him in. You’re thrown off at the sight. Rafe has never been in your house before and he’s strolling in like he’s done it a hundred times.

“That Coin prick.” Jack said without knowing how much that would piss you off.

“Jack.” You say quietly but firm and Jack shrugged in response.

Rafe picked up on the tension and just nodded in agreement. “You ready to go?” He put his hand on your bag. “This yours?” His eyes again, found yours.

“Yes?” You smile awkwardly.

This was awkward. He was being too nice.

Rafe picks up the duffle bag, says goodbye to Jack and your other brothers in the living room as he makes his way out the front door.

You make an inquisitive face at Jack and he laughs back at you.

Slowly standing you can feel the frustration boiling in your chest. You round the counter to hug Jack goodbye. “Have fun and be smart.” He says as he kisses the top of your head.

“I will. Love you.” You head towards the door, making sure you say bye to the others as you pass.

The front door snaps shut and you turn to see Rafe opening the passenger door for you.

Okay. You’ve had enough.

“Alright Rafe Cameron, I am only going to say this once.” You move across the lawn to him and his truck, almost at a charge. You square off with him, trying to look serious. Which was hard because you’re about 5’5” and he stood at about 6’2”.

He towered over you with a confused expression.

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to do. I however, am not interested in whatever it is.” You stare up at him.

Rafe smiles and moves the slightest bit closer to you. “I’m confused. What do you think I’m doing?” His right hand moves up and tucks a strand of your hair behind your left ear. His fingers lingered a bit longer, twisting the ends of your hair.

You swat him away, causing him to laugh hard.

“Enough! You’ve been way too nice to me. Which under any other circumstances, with any other person wouldn’t be concerning. But you. You’ve never been this nice to me before today. So just stop.” Your voice cracks a little.

You falter a bit having said that outloud.

You push by him to get in the truck. Once in the seat, you stare straight ahead. “So please. Stop treating me like this. I don’t know what you want. If you feel bad for me. If you’re trying to take advantage of the situation. I don’t care Rafe. Just stop acting in this fake, kind way. It’s frustrating.” You take a deep breath and stop. “I just want things to be normal.”

Rafe clicks his tongue and slowly moves to shut the door for you. Climbing into the front seat, he sticks the key in the ignition and sits there.

You can see that he’s working through the light verbal lashing you just gave him.

Finally, he sighs.

You can’t tell what tone it’s in yet.

Not until he starts talking. “First. I don’t feel sorry for you. You and Elliot? That was fucked. But I’m not sorry for you. People do fucked up shit all the time. You’ll live.” He turns to you and you’re not sure how to respond, so silence fills the space.

Rafe’s features lean slightly more towards annoyed before he starts again. “Last. I’m not fucking taking advantage of you. We usually bullshit around with each other. I thought today was better to be more on the friendly side. That’s my bad.” He raised his hands in surrender and you let a light smile cross your face.

He continued. “I swear I was just trying to be nice. Admittedly not my strong suit. But I was not trying to make you feel uncomfortable.”

The quiet fills the air again. You both just look at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

“So... I’m sorry.” Rafe decides to try and end it.

Now you feel awful for snapping at him.

“I’m sorry. I’m just overthinking everything and reading too far into shit today.” You say hoping that it’ll lay the foundation for any possible future outbursts.

He nodded in response. Silence taking over again.

You wiggle and settle more comfortably into the seat. “Besides. You can’t blame me for being so thrown off. Opening my door and carrying my bag? A bit over the top.”

Rafe turns the key to start the truck. He throws it into drive with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll just lay on the horn next time.” He looks over to you. “Don’t want you thinking I’m trying to fuck you because I choose to knock on your door.”

Your face flushes at his choice of words. You look away from him to hide it.

It's fine now.

You drew a line.

Now it’s a matter of not crossing it.

You roll down the window more to let the breeze cool your face down. Neither of you had turned the radio on. All you could hear past the wind were the tires on the ground and the bugs chirping in the grass.

The truck slowed as Rafe turned into the marina and parked. He switched it off and hopped out.

You got out right after him and headed towards the back. Rafe reached in and only grabbed his bag. He walked by you towards the docks with a smile.

You laughed and reached in for your things. Turning, you followed his direction.

You and Rafe are the first to arrive.

He’s already on the boat by the time you’ve caught up to him and you stop on the dock to take off your shoes.

Yachting rules. The main rule, no shoes.

You toss them into the storage box as you hop on. Dropping your bag next to it.

The floor feels cool on your bare feet.

You’ve been on the Cameron boat once before for a party. It’s a lot cleaner this time.

Less bodies on bodies everywhere. Empties and discarded trash aren’t scattered around.

It’s actually really nice.

Peaceful.

You move to the bow and lean on the rail, taking a deep breath, you close your eyes tight. This was your favorite time of day. Right before the sun sets. A bit before the tide starts smelling too low.

You hear the hum of the engine kick on and the rumble growing beneath your feet. You turn to look towards the upper deck where Rafe is standing by the wheel fussing with things.

You make your way inside. Walking towards the small spiral stairs and take them up. Opening the door you find Rafe facing away from you going over some sort of checklist.

“Need any help?” You ask, stepping up beside him. You run your fingers lightly across the wood of the hand carved wheel.

“Topper can help when he gets here. You don’t have to. Plus I don’t want to have to explain the steps while I’m trying to do the shit up here.” Rafe didn’t look up as he absent mindedly insulted you.

You scoffed. “Well it's a good thing I’m a little familiar with boats. If you just tell me what you want help with… you won’t have to explain a thing.” The sarcasm pours heavily out of you.

Rafe turns to you laughing. “Right. Sorry. I’m just not used to having girls around that don’t just immediately start partying once they get on the boat.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong. I will be grabbing a beer first.” You smirk and move back to the stairs. “I’ll start with unhooking the lines.” You feel Rafe’s eyes follow you as you leave.

You’re in the middle of untying when you hear Carter. “Y/N! Hey babe!” You look up to see her and Topper making their way over.

You smile and raise your beer to her. “About time!”

They both hop on, Topper heads right up to Rafe and Carter comes over to pull you into a big hug. “Sorry. I hope you weren’t here too long by yourself.” She whispered into your ear.

You pull away with a smile. “All good.”

You immediately change the subject.

“Help me finish untying? Grab that one down there and I’ll take the last one here.” Carter nods and moves to where you pointed.

Once you both finish Topper comes down and does the last few bits before signaling to Rafe that it’s good to go.

Rafe smoothly directs the boat out and away from the dock. The three of you at the bow applaud, while laughing with excitement for the evening.

Topper goes to sit on one of the couches to roll a joint.

Carter leans her head on your shoulder as you both let the wind sweep around you. She tilts her face up a little. “You good?”

You nudge her up with your shoulder. “Perfect. Please, stop asking.”

Carter spins away without responding and finds the aux cord for the sound system. Hooking up her phone she throws on another one of her playlists and starts dancing around.

She bounces over to you and throws you into a spin. The air fills with your laughter. Carter wastes no time and pulls Topper up to join you guys.

“Alright watch these moves.” He says and starts moving his hips in every direction.

You spin a few more times before you look up at Rafe and see he has his eyes set on the horizon. In that moment you feel a little bad he’s missing out.

“I’m going to go bring him a beer. I’ll be right back.” You pass between Carter and Topper. They don’t pay attention to what you said or where you’re going. The joint and the music are their main focus.

You grab two beers from the fridge and head up to the wheelhouse. You knock as you open the door, so as not to startle him.

“Hey.” You go stand beside him again and hold the beer towards him.

He looks at the beer and then up to you. “Thanks.” Taking it, he immediately takes a swig.

You take a seat in the captain’s chair to the right of him, sipping from your own drink. You close your eyes again to take a deep breath inhaling the salty air and allowing a huge grin to spread.

Rafe turns to look at you and he reacts with his own smile that’s still there when you open your eyes.

“What?” You say with a light defensive tone.

“Nothing.” Rafe responds coily. “You’re just really enjoying the sea air huh?” He laughs. Which causes you to laugh in turn.

“I am, thank you very much.” You scrunch your nose in his direction. “No, just being out here. Especially at this time of day. It’s my favorite place to be.” You turn to look out the right side of the windows, still foolishly smiling. “I could do this every day.” You take another sip.

Rafe turns back to look at you a few times in between checking the boat's direction.

You turn to him and catch his gaze one of those times. Again you’re frozen from the blue in his eyes looking right at you.

You can tell he sees you falter this time by the smile that gets bigger on his face.

“Come here.” He says, not breaking eye contact.

Your breath catches at the unexpected command.

“No.” You say sitting up straighter.

Rafe licks his lips over the smile that remains in place. Then biting his lower lip, as if he enjoyed your refusal, he turned away. He checked on the direction of the boat again then looked back at you.

“Come. Here.” A bit more firm this time.

You were, without a doubt, beet red at this point. There was no way to hide it from him. “For what?” You’re going to at least put up a fight, even if your face was betraying you.

Rafe’s tongue pressed into the side of his cheek. A airy chuckle escapes him. “If you come over here I can show you.”

You twist your head up in an attempt of resistance. You finish off your beer and place it in the table cup holder. Holding your stare with his, you stand up from the chair and move over to him.

Once he can reach you, Rafe guides you by the waist with both of his hands. He places you in between him and the wheel. Then presses himself directly behind you.

Reaching around with his right hand, he laid his thumb and index finger gently on your chin.

Your breath stops.

Rafe turns your head a little to the left, past the front of the boat. He turns his head closer to your temple. “Keep your eyes there.”

You lean your body back into him, but you do as he says. Keeping your sight where his hand had placed you.

Rafe takes his hand away from your face to make changes to some of the switches in front of you.

Your teeth find your lower lip as you bite down. Not knowing what to expect.

Once he was done ensuring the boat was all set, Rafe’s hand then moves back down to your hip. It matched his other hand that had been resting on your opposite side.

“Here it comes.” He whispers, his lips brushing against the side of your face.

Within moments the sky began to turn various shades of oranges and pinks. Brighter than you’ve seen in a long time. Being this far out on the water left no obstructions to the view. The sky's reflection was also showing in the water. The colors were all around you.

“Rafe.” You barely whisper his name. You feel him look away from the sky and down to you. “It’s so beautiful.” You bring your fingers to your lower lip as you gasp.

You can feel his chest move with a deep breath. His face, still looking down at you. “I know.”

You bite down harder on your lip this time. Not crossing that line might be harder than you thought.

Part One - Part Three

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Any of these lovely edgelords have dorky hobbies? Please? I hope they do? At least Kinger

LMFAO "LOVELY EDGELORDS" STOPPPPPPP

Pomni - When her brain stops being "RAAAAAAAAAA FIGHT SOMETHING RAAAAAAAAAAAAA" all the damn time, she eventually gets into puzzle-solving that gets her noggin a thinking. Sometimes, when she's outside, she'll try to balance some rocks. Chances are, if you see a randomly stacked pile somewhere in the city, that's her doing.

Caine - revisits old projects when he's in the mood, not reading, not shitfaced drunk or dealing with everyone. As the story progresses on and his relationship with Pomni develops, he gifts her some small handmade Mechanical Wonders. He doesn't know if she keeps them, but you know.

Ragatha - I've mentioned she likes to listen to vinyls and it's why she regularly goes to Caine for new ones to listen to, yeah? Well, she also likes to sew if she's not drinking tea, sensing charms or trying to clean artifacts. She's trying to master all sewing techniques.

Jax - Tries doing trick shots with whatever object he comes across with that don't even land 90% of the time. When he does do it successfully, he celebrates like he won a gold medal and praises himself so much. He also does that "highest leap" thing on every fucking doorway, chandeliers and stairways, though no one really understands it. Kaufmo joins in on this once he's added to the team and both of them start to compete who's got the highest jumps. They'll also compete with who can reach Gangle.

Gangle - Writes about everyone in fictitious, often time exaggerated settings and scenarios. She also has the tendency to "parrot" sentences (unintentionally), trying to mimic the voices (but immediately apologize when pointed out). She'll pop in front of anyone randomly, give them a sketch study, and then leave without uttering a single word, too shy to conversate even the slightest bit. Caine is the often victim of this because he's the one who gives her drawings praise the most.

Kingr - If not challenging every puppet on the block to a strategic board game match? Classic bug watching. He'll follow the insect as much as possible before moving on and pondering about the lives of the bugs. He likes to watch ants the most. When Quinnie officially arrives, he feels the need to share his discoveries with her. He also likes to tackle a little bit with calligraphy.

Z - I've already mentioned sculpting before, but it's not just big ones they make. Z would actually try to make miniature sculptures to give themselves a challenge. They also like to meditate, but the others can't sit still for very long and would sometimes get into arguments, leaving Z to abandon the session and try to reach a middle ground with them on what exactly they want to do (if they're willing to negotiate that is)

They're still on the process of discovering what exactly they like as a hobby, but food art seems to be on top of the list.

[gauntletqueen]

You're an ena fan, right? if you don't mind me asking, what the hell is it? like I know the recently released dream BBQ is some kind of video game (I haven't seen anything about it apart from dratula) but I assume it's not where it starts since I'm pretty sure I remember seeing art of the character way before the game was announced, and apart from it I don't even know if it originally was a video game, some kind of piece of media, or what.

Sure!

TL;DR it's a series of surrealist comedic animated shorts on youtube combining inspirations from various games, cultures, animation styles and more. The shorts released first, the game came later. Any entry in the series can be enjoyed separately, with only lose or theoretical connections to any ongoing narrative. The ∃NA series, started by Peruvian animator Joel "Joel G" Guerra, and having grown to a full team of creatives working together, is a collection of animated short films (and most recently one video game) set in an abstract, seemingly nonsensical digital world filled with locations, characters and concepts inspired by many things such as early 3D renders, Windows 95 screensavers, surrealist paintings and Peruvian culture.

The general premise of the series is that ∃NA, a half-blue, half-yellow girl with different personalities depending on which side of her body is speaking, makes her way through this strange world on various errands and hijinks, encountering unique characters, all animated in a wide variety of styles, and speaking in a wide variety of languages.

The series is funny, a bit off-putting at times, and, being a surrealist work, features both a lot of metaphorical meaning for viewers to interpret as well as tons of uncertain hints at a greater narrative to theorize about. Is it about abuse? Mental illness? Depression? Perhaps! Who or what is ∃NA? Do they live in a simulation? Maybe!

There are currently four shorts, starting with Action Day, which has a decidedly different vibe from the rest of the series, thanks to its more traditional camera work. Next are Extinction Party and Temptation Stairway, which establish the game-like first-person exploration style that would end up being used for ∃NA: Dream BBQ. The fourth and currently final short is Power of Potluck, released well after development on Dream BBQ had started. It uses an isometric top-down view.

∃NA: Dream BBQ is a (FREE!) video game set in the same world, but following a different ∃NA. This one has a Job, and that's what facilitates the game's objectives. Given the animated series' inspiration from video games and use of video game mechanics and visuals as shorthand for various things, it's a natural next step to make a game! It maintains most of the tone of the series, but feels a just a little darker, there's a little more weight to the actions and events. Currently only Chapter 1: The Lonely Door is playable.

None of the entries in the series have Direct chronological connections to one another, so you can enjoy them in any order, with especially the game being largely standalone from the animations. Though of course, with the aforementioned theorizing there MIGHT be a greater narrative to uncover! Who's to say :3

I hope this helps!!

[hellaverse-reimagined]

Realms of Hell: Torment, Purgatory, and Damnation

In the Stairways AU, Hell is split into more than just the rings of the 7 deadly Sins. Within each ring is a Circle of Torment (also known as The Inferno) where sinners arrive in hell - and Purgatory, a place of relative respite for the sinners strong enough to climb out of the Inferno. And beneath it all is Damnation - the final resting place for sinners in hell.

Torment

Each ring of hell has a circle of torment where sinners manifest in death after having their hearts weighed in heaven. Torment is not permanent - if the sinners are strong enough to pull themselves out, they seek refuge in Purgatory, a realm that exists in each ring of hell. In Torment, sinners suffer based on their Mortal Sin, and are painfully transformed into demons, then monsters, then after a century or so of torment, their souls are stripped of all humanity and become shadows of what they once were. Those that gain strength in their monstrosity crawl out of the Pits of Torment as demonic beasts, devoid of humanity, doomed to wreak havoc in whatever realm of hell they find themselves in. The rest seep through the realms, dripping like a refined oil of soul energy, to Damnation - the belly Torment, and a ring all on it's own.

Torment is different in each ring, and is different for every sinner. It's like a personalized, 4-D nightmare where your who is stripped from your what and rearranged into something you don't recognize.

Torment in Sloth has the endless corridors of St. Oozing's Home for the Unwell, a glorified torture house where Hellborne can exercise their right to malpractice. To escape to Sloth's purgatory, they must trek across frozen terrain and avoid becoming part of the landscape.

The centre of Torment in Gluttony is the Flesh Pit - the twitching, fleshy remains of the Titan that came Before us fused with the terrain, delving deep underground, the unfurling anatomy being home to many a monster and means of transformation. The Flesh Pit is also an amusement park for Hellborne to watch Sinners suffer at the hands of disgusting anatomical horrors, all from behind the safe, sterile barriers of Belphagorian Glass, like an underground zoo. To escape to Gluttony's Purgatory, they must survive the carnivorous Jungles that surround Flesh Park.

Torment in Pride is full of horrible liminal spaces. Every time you close your eyes to sleep, you wake up in Lucifer's personal laboratory, where he does live experiments on you, leaving you Changed upon waking. Time doesn't work right in Pride's Torment, with those who escape to Pride's Purgatory not knowing what century it is. Many Sinners in Pride develop insomnia from their experiences in Torment, relying on dreamless potions to get a quiet night's sleep. The only dreams you can have in Hell are nightmares. A dreamless sleep is the best anyone can hope for.

(Torment in Greed, Envy, Wrath, and Lust will be elaborated on in a later post)

Purgatory

Purgatory and Torment exist side by side, Yin and Yang, in every circle of Hell, save Damnation. Sinners arrive to suffer in Torment, and those lucky or strong enough to drag themselves from suffering can find refuge in Purgatory, a recent installment (relative to the vast expanse of time) in Hell. Purgatory only came into being when Christ died on the cross, his blood spilling into the depths, it's blessing neutralizing the cursed soil, creating zones in Hell where Sinners can seek respite, if not seek repentance so they may once again knock on Heaven's Gates. This lore, however, has fled common knowledge, saved only in the History Books in the Royal Library, which Charlie Magne has read many times.

To spend your afterlife in Purgatory does not guarantee peace. It is still hell, and with hell comes other people. Purgatory isn't just a home for the damned, it's home to the toughest of souls to escape the throws of Torment. Overlords run rampant, splitting Purg into territories, where they make the rules and lay claim to any soul who enters. Some Overlords have gotten so powerful that they reach beyond Purgatory, matching the power level of Hellborne Demons, which is quite the feat, with Sinners being at the bottom of Hell's hierarchy. Vox is one such Overlord, with estates in Sloth and Gluttony, his two benefactors.

Souls not powerful enough to climb the ranks as Overlords find themselves at their mercy. Most Sinners in Purgatory have sold at least part of their souls to be rescued from Torment, a common hunting ground for Overlords eager to grow their numbers. With recent innovations in technology, those rich and powerful enough don't even need to go to Torment themselves. Voxtek has developed Inferno-resistant drones that can teleport Sinners directly to the location of your choosing, in exchange for the souls of the Tormented. Just sign here, and you will be whisked away from this place (to another, marginally less and differently horrible place of the lessor's choosing). You can get this technology in exchange for a fraction of the souls you recruit, for the low low price of $666.

Damnation

One of the laws of the universe is that energy cannot be created or destroyed - it all has to go somewhere. In Hell, that "somewhere" is Damnation. It is the darkest pit of Hell. Within Damnation is a vast, swirling pool filled with the barely conscious remnants of sinners, stripped of their humanity from their time in Torment, each soul barely visible amongst the multitudes of the damned. The depths of Damnation reach ad infinitum - endless - with a finite cavern stretching over the pool. For Hellborne, Damnation is home to flying imps and the winged children of Belphagor, content to watch the shreds of human spirits churning for eternity. They are tasked with preventing souls from coalescing into a nifsh mimzer (Hebrew) - a Bastard Soul. They prod the pool with great rods of demonic steel, enchanted with abjuration magic to tear the bonds of the damned, lest they bring forth the end of times. Once what is left of your soul has reached damnation, it is too late. You cannot be saved. This is your eternity. To be Damned is to be numb and lost, with nothing left of you, not even the strongest of emotions could hold on after being boiled down to nothing in Torment. These spirits are weathered down to nothing but pure spirit energy, siphoned by the Roots of Evil that stretch down into Damnation, feeding off the damned like it is sweet water. These roots feed the spirit energy back into hell, feeding the Rings of Hell like Nitrogen feeds soil. This spirit energy feeds the flora and fauna of Hell by stimulating demonic plant growth, as well as manifesting as the eyes and open maws that seem to grow like a lichen or moss on any structure built in hell. Lucifer, in turn, can see through any of these lichenous eyes to spy on the sinners of hell in purgatory whenever he so pleases.

All these realms, along with the rings of the 7 Deadly sins, come together to make Hell.

[shades-of-severance]

Red

Passion/Love/Rage/Unbridled Emotion

Red appears most prominently in emotionally charged scenes. Be it rage, passion, or love. Helly’s Escape Attempts: When Helly tries to escape via the elevator and stairway door, the scenes are lit with red, capturing her raw desperation.

Dylan Bites Milchick: The moment Dylan snaps is steeped in red tones, highlighting his sudden burst of rage.

Ricken’s Book: Ricken is full of big emotions and philosophical rants and often is associated with red.

Gemma's Barrier Testing Red: When Gemma's innie's are subjected to finished files, they're often in red when her innie is under the most stress.

Natalie’s Red Attire: Whenever Natalie fiercely defends Lumon (on TV and at the gala), she’s wearing red.

Helly R’s Red Hair: Notably down on the Severed Floor where she is at most outwardly emotional, but when she’s Outie Helena, her hair is often pulled back—like she’s trying to restrain her more emotional side.

Myrtle Eagan: Her statue is wearing bright red when we hear her backstory about how she determinedly pursued being CEO at a young age.

Cobel's Faith: Cobel's home is routinely lit in blue, accept at her alter to Kier where it is shown in shades of red.

Mark and Hellyna's Developing Love: Routinely in red. ❤️

[iliiuan]

Rand's first battle with Elan/Ishamael/Ba'alzamon is full of oddities.

He Travels by turning, a method he will use other times, until he develops traveling by opening gateways. Now, it *could* be explained as him not noticing the gateway, but I like the idea of another, rarer form of Travel existing. Especially since he uses the stairway through the void method as well, marking a distinction between the two methods.

He feels like he recognizes some of the faces in the stones. Is it him revisiting the same place, and growing to know the faces contained there? Is it the faces of Darkfriends he's killed? People he knew in his life who died? Some other means of growing recognition? I'm intrigued.

He cuts Ba'alzamon's connection to the Dark One, much how he later cuts that of Asmodean. But Ishamael doesn't fall out of favor for the severance, while Asmodean does. Perhaps because he is not physically restrained from returning to Shayol Ghul after the encounter.

The use of Ishamael's constructed world in Tel'aron'rhiod carries more weight when you know what's going on, when you understand the stakes of being in the World of Dreams in the flesh. When everything collapses, it is a small miracle that Rand escapes and is not harmed.

And then there's the scene with Kari. Was she snatched at death, just in case she could be used? Was she a Darkfriend in life? Was the whole thing an illusion? But if so, why does she thank Rand for releasing her at the end? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO MAKE OUT OF THIS SCENE?!?!?!?!? I AM SO CONFUSED.

[thespianinthebackcorner]

Fuck it. Every piece of evidence so far indicating Series Ǝna and Moony live in the Lonely Door area

The Purge Event having a door to the Extinction Party building that Moony lives in

After turning off the smoke machine and getting out to the Uncanny Valley, there's a matrix code on top of the platform you spawn in front of. Decoding it and calling the number in-game gets you the auctioneer from Auction Day, who is now revealed via this call to be a fucking scammer lmao.

The npcs turning into the same mouth stones that were present in Auction Day and the landscape just generally looking similar.

While going to the Purge Event, when the taxi driver drops you off, there's a chance he can say "have fun at the Extinction Party!!! Wait, wrong event."

I swear there was more but I can't remember- if you know anything else that could count do tell and I'll add it to the list!

Still, assuming all this comes together to be correct and Series Ǝna and Moony do live in the Lonely Door, their absence in Dream BBQ indicates that they likely weren't in the Door- or in Uncanny Valley- at the time. There's three possible theories here derived from that:

The theory of Temptation Stairway coming after Power of Potluck is true, and Series Ǝna and Moony are both still in the palace of the Great Runas (due to Ǝna's character development in PoP, this is the least likely)

Series Ǝna and Moony are still in the Door, and either prefer to come out and adventure together when the Door is closed (possibly to avoid random strangers or Ǝna getting hate?) or were in a different area at the time of Dream BBQ

Series Ǝna and Moony are both outside the Door doing something else strange and possibly plot-central, and Dream Ǝna will likely run into them in a few chapters' time.

Time will tell which one turns out true.