#a lot of the photos aren’t mine but from other games

[theramblingsofadork]

⚙️ The History of Aethos (A Summary) by J.P. Higgenbottom

“—Aethos is often called the ‘City of Innovation and Unity’. It resides on the coastline, and is often brought up in conversation along with it’s much larger cousin, Spagonia.

Unlike Spagonia though, Aethos is much less populated. This is due to the geography of the surrounding area, and the nature conscious morals of the townsfolk.”

“The town is quite rich in history, having been built around a giant energy core that was discovered sleeping deep within the ground by my grandfather.

Said CORE powers the whole of the city, and naturally creates an atmosphere and environment that draws in an abundance of life and flora. As such, co-existence with the surrounding nature has been strictly maintained, and the CORE is carefully protected to ensure it’s energy doesn’t fluctuate out of control.

It’s power as well means that Aethos one of the few cities to be completely run by clean energy, and not be reliant on the mainland’s power grid.”

“With it’s beautiful coastlines and thick forest-filled hills, this thriving city is home to the esteemed Atmos Corporation*, and draws in inventors and tourists alike who wish to experience the city’s harmonic and innovative atmosphere; as well as partake in it’s great fishing, food, and festivities.”

(🌟*This is the company that’s running the competition Starline and the others take part in)

“The town of Aethos itself is centered inland and along the shore, while the facilities of the Atmos Corporation reside further up in the hills, protected by a single road highway and woodland trees.

Pop-up merchants selling their wares and restaurants have become abundant in the square, and there’s even a library and museum where you can learn about famous figures throughout Aethos’s history, as well as the power system and other advancements made under the Aethos banner.”

🌟 The CORE

💠 The CORE is an artifact of great power—much like the Master Emerald though much more mysterious—that was discovered by an explorer by the name of Bennetide Atmos Higgenbottom.

“My grandfather was called a crock throughout most of his career for believing the CORE and other wild folklore existed. But, he was the stubborn sort— all that negativity going in one ear and out the other.

Through a series of unexpected events, he managed to locate the sleeping CORE deep in the wilds of what would eventually become our great city. Feeling full of wonder seeing that giant artifact, he was spurred to protect it, lest it fall into the wrong hands and cause monumental damage.

When word of it’s existence got out, both Humans and Mobians fought over control of the land, not trusting the other with all that power as tensions between the two races was at an all time high.

To rectify this, a council of representatives was established, made up of 8 seats to be held by both Mobians and Humans alike to ensure both sides would have an equal say in it’s use and power. Their screening process for members to join the board to this day is quite extensive, set up to help ensure the CORE can never be used for evil intentions by either race.

They began to carefully explore and harness it’s power for the betterment of the world, and within a short amount of time, Aethos was born.

Nowadays, Aethos and the Atmos Corporation are well known. The latter is a trusted innovator of the technological industry, with their underlying goal being to help protect the planet and it’s people from outside threats, such as Eggman and extraterrestrials, as well as from the destruction razed into the land by rampant deities.”

Truly, so long as the intentions of the council stay noble, Aethos will continue to flourish for a long time.”

-end excerpt

—————

Author’s Note: Exciting!! I finally get to share a bit more about my beloved fan city, and give a background to the competition and the corporation running it! Why it’s such a big deal, and why Starline would take interest, as well as some potential hazards that could come as a result of such an event.

💠 The Atmos Initiative

❓— So, what is this competition that Starline and the others are partaking in anyways? Well, it’s called the Atmos Initiative Competition. It comes about when the council realizes they have need to seek out more brilliant minds to help them innovate new methods of protecting and restoring the planet, as hostile attacks are becoming wider spread and more commonplace.

The winning team will be allowed a victory speech and be granted the ability to become future innovators for the company. Such a title is held in high regard, and is the dream of many inventors, chemists, and more.

(Including one certain shadowy doctor.)

—

Aethos and it’s region was largely inspired by these two Thomas Kinkade paintings, as well as my personal love for seaside towns in Italy and mountain towns.

I wanted Starline and the others to have a nice place where they could relax and enjoy food and nice views on their off days. But I wasn’t keen on them having to travel far away from the competition grounds to do so, especially since early on Starline likely wouldn’t use the warp topaz for something as trivial as a group restaurant trip. (Although I do imagine he certainly uses it to visit Spagonia in his own time.)

Thus said, Aethos was born! I can’t wait to flesh it out more and have the group explore the town throughout their time together. :)

[e-dubbc11]

Out of Left Field

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, a tiny bit of violence but not really, drunk fan, a couple swear words, fluffy bunnies and unicorns

Word Count: 1.8k-ish

Summary: You’re attending a baseball game with a friend and you weren’t expecting to meet a tall handsome stranger.

A/N: This is part of the Thirsty for Cox writing challenge for the month of June. The prompt was “Hey, is that guy bothering you?” It was difficult to NOT set this one at a bar because let’s be honest, that’s the most likely place someone would use that line, amirite? 🤣 Anyway, I hope you like it! 💕

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

“These are great seats! How did you score these?” Your friend Jackie, asked.

When your stepfather said he had four tickets to the Yankee game this weekend, you jumped at the chance to go.

It was the beginning of June, sunny with a few fluffy white clouds slowly moving across the bright blue sky and thankfully the hot summer weather hadn’t arrived yet so it was still just warm and dry.

A perfect day for baseball.

Sitting on the first base line, you’ve never been this close before. The warm early afternoon sun kissed the high points of your face as you took in the view.

You were only three rows back from the on-deck circle and could smell the sunscreen the players had on as they waited for their turn at-bat.

“A client gave them to my stepfather and he couldn’t go so he offered them to me. We have these four seats so we don’t have to worry about anyone sitting next to us.” You told her.

Suddenly, you felt a pinch in your side.

“OW!! What did you do that for?!” You yelled and glared at her.

“Oh I didn’t pinch you that hard, listen…really hot guy checking YOU out. Your four o’clock. Don’t look yet.” She said.

Waiting a couple of minutes before turning around, you looked over your shoulder and there he was…a baseball hat covered his dark brown hair, he had a short well-groomed beard, eyes as dark as the night sky and a smile that would stop anyone dead in their tracks.

“Jackie, are you sure he was looking at me? Because he has to be the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in real life. Every woman in this area is looking at him.” You whispered to her.

She started to chuckle at little. “Well he sure as shit wasn’t lookin’ at me, I’m married anyway and he wasn’t looking at ANY of those other women, he was only lookin’ at YOU.”

Another inning went by and it was time for another beer so you stood up and headed for the concession stands. Walking up the stairs, you phone vibrated in your back pocket. It was a text from Jackie that said:

Hot guy is following you up the stairs, YAY!!

You couldn’t help but laugh a little and shake your head as you put your phone back in your pocket. And now that you knew he was a few steps behind you, it wasn’t the sun that was making you feel warm anymore. Another text came in:

You look really cute today, relax!!

She knew you all too well. She knew you were shy and easily flustered so that was a text pep talk to calm you down a little.

Standing in line, you could feel him behind you, watching you but almost in a protective way. You noticed there were a lot of people around that had already had a few too many, one of them being directly behind you. Swaying in place, and looking like he was about to fall over at any moment, the man spoke to you.

“Y-you look like you wanna buy me a beer! You are a p-pretty thing, aren’t ya.” He slurred.

The man took you by surprise, yelling in your ear like he did, but you tried to be as nice as possible.

“You sure you need another one? You look like you’ve had enough already.” You said with an uncomfortable smile.

The man tried to move closer to you but you stepped to the side a little.

“W-well I w-want you to b-buy me another!” He said, putting his hand on your shoulder.

And that’s when your tall handsome stranger stepped in.

“Hey, is that guy bothering you?” He asked, trying to get in between you and the drunk.

Looking a little nervous, you nodded.

His eyes looked darker than they were when you saw them before, his lips were pulled back to expose clenched teeth, and the heated glare he gave the man was filled with rage.

“Take your hand off of her…now.” He said with a low growl.

The man grabbed your shirt at the shoulder and gripped it tightly in between his fingers. “This doesn’t concern you, pretty boy. This is between me and her.”

And with those words he shoved you backwards into a person carrying two cups of beer that ended up splashed down your back and caused you to fall to the ground.

What happened next, happened so fast that you missed it but looking up after hitting the ground, your admirer suddenly had the drunk man pinned to ground face down when security came running over to take him away.

The handsome stranger rushed to your side and gently placed his hand on your shoulder.

“Are you ok, miss?” He asked, looking you over to make sure you weren’t hurt.

“Well…I have beer all over me but other than that, I guess I’m fine.” You answered.

He laughed a little and continued to smile that perfect smile at you.

“Well this is not how I wanted to introduce myself but HI…Billy Russo.” He said in a slightly sarcastic tone and extending his arm for you to shake his hand.

You gave him a warm smile. “Well it’s nice to meet you, Billy Russo. I’m y/n. Thank you for what you did, I’ve never really had anyone come to my rescue before.”

He gave you his hand for you to take and helped you to your feet.

“Well I’m just glad I was the one to rescue you. Come on, let’s go buy you some dry clothes.” He said.

A little embarrassed, you told him you only brought enough cash with you for beer, the rest of your money was with your purse, at your seat. He said it was on him and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“What? No Billy, I can’t ask you to do that. They charge a small fortune for all this stuff.” You said.

Billy winked and smiled at you. “You didn’t ask, sweetheart. I offered.” His slight New York accent coming through. “This way…”

He was so handsome and charming. It was hard to say no, so you didn’t and he led you to a shop to get some dry clothes.

You picked out a new DiMaggio t-shirt since your other one was soaked with beer and a pair of joggers, you were thankful that your socks and sneakers didn’t get wet. Billy had the same t-shirt on.

“At least this one doesn’t smell like beer.” You laughed. “What do ya think?” You asked with a smile and a 360 turn.

Leaning against a rack of clothes, he smiled back at you. “I think you look perfect.”

You felt yourself start to blush. “Thank you for this, Billy. You really didn’t have to. Can I take you dinner, as a thank you?” You asked him.

“Hey that’s my line.” He said with a sly smile as he inched closer to you.

Looking up at him through your dark lashes, you could not take your eyes off of him and he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. It suddenly felt like it was a thousand degrees inside the store.

“Tell ya what…let me take you to dinner and you can buy me a beer on the way back to our seats. How does that sound?” He asked.

You extended your hand for him to shake it. “You got yourself a deal, Mr. Russo.”

On the way back to your seats, you bought four beers. Billy’s friend Frank needed one as well and when you got back to your seats, Frank was sitting with Jackie, and they were showing each other pictures of their kids.

“FINALLY! I’ve been dyin’ of thirst down here.” Jackie said. “Ummm, why are you wearing different clothes? What have you two been doing?” She asked with a wink.

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell ya in a minute.” You said.

You smiled and extended your hand to Frank. “Hi, I’m y/n.”

Frank firmly shook your hand. “Frank Castle. Nice to meet ya.” He said with a smirk.

You handed him his beer. “It’s nice to meet you too, Frank.”

Looking at Jackie, you introduced her to Billy. Her response made you crack a smile.

“Oh I’ve heard a lot about Billy from this guy over here.” She said, pointing at Frank.

The four of you enjoyed the rest of the game together, sharing peanuts, drinking beer, and singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Billy told you he and Frank were in the Marines together but now Billy owns his own private security company and Frank works closely with him.

As the game went on, Billy snaked his arm around you and draped it over your shoulder. Goosebumps peppered across the exposed skin on your arm as he lightly brushed it with his long slender fingers.

You could feel him stealing glances at you when you’d lean over to talk to Frank or Jackie, or rubbing your back before he’d get up to use the restroom or if it was his turn to make a beer or snack run.

These little gestures caused your ears to turn red and gave you butterflies in your stomach. You were already smitten with him.

After the game was over, you were chatting with Billy outside the stadium when you heard Jackie’s voice.

“So are you guys goin’ out on a date or what?” She asked, very directly. “You two look pretty cozy already.” She said, looking at Billy’s arm snaked around your waist.

You smiled nervously at her before looking at Billy then turning back to Jackie. “Uh, yeah. Billy wants to take me to dinner.”

She looked at you, then at Billy, smiled and whispered in your ear. “I have a good feeling about him.”

“I do too.” You whispered back.

You bit down on your lower lip and looked up at Billy. He gave you a little wink as he took your hand in his and kissed the back of it. “I’ll call you later, sweetheart.”

“I look forward to it, Mr. Russo.” You said with a smile.

He leaned forward and feeling his warm breath against your ear, Billy whispered. “Ya know it drives me absolutely crazy when you call me that.” And he planted a light kiss on your cheek.

“Well, I’ll have to remember that.” You said with a slight smirk. “I’ll see you soon, Billy.”

Billy took one last look at you as you walked away from him. You could feel his eyes on you just like earlier waiting in line, watching over you and making sure you were safe. Once you were out of sight, Frank turned to Billy and said.

“I have a good feeling about that one, Bill.”

Billy smiled as he quickly glanced at the ground and back up to look back at Frank and said.

“I do too, Frankie. I do too.”

Tag List: @mindidjarin @saintmurd0ck @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @xdervyxccgh @mattmurdocksscars @fakehappy27 @music-indie-tv @fictional-hooman @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @celestialams @idek-what-to-put @anastasianeedstoread @ratsys @k-marzolf @nutmeg17 @rosaleenablack @vaguekayla

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @jvanilly @simple-lovebot @russosafehaven @mrsbillyrusso @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend

If you’d like to be added to (or removed from) my tag list(s) for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again.

[thesquirrelqueer]

@woah-uhuh-uhuh-uhuh already made a post about this that you can go check out here but here’s mine with other stuff from the show I noticed from today’s bac bmc performance!

(these aren’t in any specific order it’s just by when I remembered to write it down)

they really said SCARY stockboy cause he had a knife and he yelled a lot

scary stockboy was playing the knife game before jeremy and michael came in

my mothers would be thrilled was added in

crystal pepsi was changed to ecto cooler (broadway version)

mixed up line during bmc pt 2: the “everything about you makes me wanna die” bit was accidentally switched with the “everything about you is so terrible” bit

whenever squip was controlling someone’s dialogue he mouthed along with them

chloe and brooke held hands a lot

there was a literal tango between madeline and zac during the squip tango

rich yelled “hey short ass where’s my money?” at aubrey during the mts reprise

dustin was shoplifting at the mall

the squip looked through files whenever jeremy did something wrong (think like tony stark with jarvis)

during gtikbi reprise christine had headphones on (she is so neurodivergent <3)

mixed up line during ilprl: “is this where you sign up for the play” “no this is where you sign up for the swim team”

the photo used during the mall scene is actually a photo of the real life menlo park mall

chloe pushes up/adjusts brooke’s boobs for the second dywr verse

one of the ensemble threw up in the hood of jared’s onesie during gtikbi reprise

the squip did stewart clarke’s opt up during tpc

michael started screaming when everyone else was screaming during the play

michael’s mailbox during the pants song said “mell box”

jeremy had an x-men shirt during vimh

michael has more than one red hoodie but they're all slightly different

after rich writes boyf on jeremy’s backpack he like does a kiss towards jeremy’s cheek (not like leaning in to kiss his cheek but more like a “mwah” noise)

[dandylion-virtual-adventurer]

My Outer Worlds posts aren’t getting much attention, but I’m still hyper focused on it (and the Vicar) so I thought I’d get my thoughts out about the game! Lots of words under the cut lol

I was interested when it was first revealed, but didn’t play it because I generally do not want to play in first person perspective. Without a toggle for third person, I pretty much checked out and didn't pay attention to anything about the game for a long time. I had tried it (years ago) during a game pass trial but did not make it into Edgewater. If I had, I firmly believe I would have played it so much sooner.

I picked it up for less than $10 a few months ago and finally played it this month. Boom. It’s my new obsession and it’s very, very sad to be so in love with something that no one seems to talk about anymore.

But anyway, here’s my thoughts on the game, admittedly rambly and not well put together:

First of all, I think it’s important to know that I have not played Fallout: New Vegas. In fact, I’ve only played Fallout 4. I became pretty obsessed with that game when I played it as well. But even still, not to the level that I am now with the Outer Worlds. I write all that to say that I wasn’t comparing this game to New Vegas, as so many other players were. I was, however, comparing it very much to Starfield.

This blog of mine sees me post a lot of Starfield photography and a lot of Sam Coe. But to be honest, the game was overall very disappointing to me. And I don't even actually like Sam that much. In fact, there are aspects about him I actively dislike lol. But he seemed to be the only option for me to romance in the game. (Barrett was my beloved gay uncle idk what to tell you lol).

I think The Outer Worlds succeeded in a lot of ways that Starfield failed. The most obvious way being the tightly crafted world. Starfield's randomly generated areas have nothing on the hand crafted environments of smaller titles, and feel so hollow in comparison. TOW was such a delight to explore in that way. It was always so exciting to land on a new planet or explore a new city. The scale is so much smaller, and I do wish it was bigger...more. But what is there, satisfied that itch of what I wanted adventuring into new alien worlds. It also offered up a better attempt at creating a new universe, in my opinion. I appreciate that Bethesda was trying to create something slightly more serious with their title, but I prefer the dark humor of Obsidian's new lore and more whimsical art direction, even if I feel the former wasn't nearly fleshed out enough. I deeply wish we knew more about other colonies and about the Earth our Captain left behind.

Gameplay wise, I never really did get over the first person thing. Since the game is relatively short compared to other open world RPG’s, at least half a dozen times a play session, I found myself attempting to toggle to a third person view. The persistent problem of the forced first person perspective throughout the entire experience was a constant grating annoyance. I simply do not like it. Especially in a world like this. It is so important for me to be able to see my character and it hugely took away from my experience that I could not. It's incredibly baffling that they included a character creator at all. Even more irritating, is that there are multiple quests about clothing, dressing up, and disguises. Sure would be nice to actually see yourself in that context, wouldn't it?? I also found it frustrating that the developers clearly understood people would want to take pictures in the world they created, but did not, and have never included a photo mode. It's written right there on the option to turn off the HUD. But no, no photo mode.

I don't have much to say about combat. I played on the easiest difficulty, again not being overly familiar with fps, and didn't have many issues. I enjoyed the companion commands and found them way more useful in combat scenarios than many other titles with followers. And how refreshing to be able to have more than one at a time! Their banter reminded me more of Dragon Age than Bethesda titles where it can feel somewhat lonely with a single follower. The dialogue between the Unreliable crew was a delight, but it seems to be the only real time you will get to see their personalities playing off one another, as there are very few moments where the whole cast is together. Admittedly, I still sometimes go out with just the Vicar ;)

And oh how that Vicar so quickly became beloved! I've never read fanfiction in my life, but here I am now. I just turned 30 last year and I'm scouring the internet for fics and fanart of this man. Lamenting the complete lack of merch. Is it any wonder? I definitely feel he's the most well explored character in the game. It's a pity I couldn't explore his body. Not only do I find him attractive and fun to have around, but by the end of his quest I felt a deeper connection to him, as I saw my own journey with deconstructing religion reflected in his story. Frankly, I felt most of the other characters' quests felt like afterthoughts in comparison, and I was hoping for a little more.

There are some other rough edges to the game for me as well. I was greatly aggravated by the level cap being sat at 36. I'm playing the og version with DLC installed. I had no idea it was coming and was frustrated I couldn't tweak the characters further. And of course, combat became a waste of time as it was no longer rewarding by mid to late game. I essentially played the entirety of Peril on Gorgon and the last few missions of the main campaign without earning a single shred of xp. I appreciate that I can take certain companions to boost my skills that I'm weak at, but preferred to take companions I liked and let my clothing do the supplemental work for us. Unfortunately this was a very tedious task without a load out system or any way to sort the armor by affect. One wonderful perk I must sing the praises of, however, is the ability to travel while over-encumbered! If only the map itself weren't so darn cumbersome! I never took on any flaws in my first playthrough, and think I'll save that for my low intelligence run, so I can't comment on that system. It did not look appealing to me while playing on easy.

One last thought before I sum up my opinions here. The DLC. Peril on Gorgon was fine. I'm disappointed I didn't get an Archibald Excelsior outfit for Max, but it's fine. I think it was a mistake to play it after Murder on Eridanos though... because I LOVED Murder on Eridanos. It felt bigger, more exciting. Different. It was such a blast to play and I think it stuck out to me more than any other part of the game.

The biggest complaints one can have with The Outer Worlds somewhat slink away when you remember the limited time and budget Obsidian had. I wanted more places to explore. I wanted more fleshed out world building and companions. I wanted a longer third act. A more satisfying conclusion. I admit, I hate that the crew drifted a part. Most of these things could be addressed in the sequel, but the fact that we won't get them for the Halcyon Colony and the Unreliable Crew saddens me to my core. If they add romance in the sequel, that would be wonderful. But if I won't be romancing Vicar Max then what's the point... *sigh*

Hey, maybe we can get a game where the Unreliable crew is reunited to solve another murder mystery?

Eh, it could happen.

[hux-and-gay]

Kylux Ask Game

so I’ve been having lots of fun writing shorts for the Kylux shorts fest, and I just recently updated and organised my Kylux playlist again. So I thought what better to do than continue to fill up my ask box with things, I will get to eventually.

Here’s How this works My Klux playlist is linked below. Either pick a song yourself or shuffle the playlist then SEND ME AN ASK that has that name of the song and any other details you want to add, I will write a short based on the song and the details you give me. Please be sure to include the emojis listed below in the ask to indicate what type of writing you want.

You can include multiple

💙- banter

💗- Fluff

❤️- passion

💛- Steamy/Dirty

🖤- angst

💔- breakup

🩸- Violence/Gore

—————————————————————————

again, don’t expect these to be answered any time soon 😅

There are 50 songs to choose from, you can send multiple songs in the same ask but I may not do all of them if it seems too complicated

The cover photo for the Spotify Playlist IS NOT MINE, it’s beautiful fan art by @queenstardust

They aren’t on these playlists but I will also take

Take me to War, The Crane Wives

Money Power Glory, Lana Del Ray

Mama, My Chemical Romance

if you want one just about Hux

—————————————————————————

@lessdenied @fives-ren @jaynesilver @thegeneralorder @diabollicallyangelic

@existing-sadly

@theosb0rnway

@dragonflies-draw-flame @hpdmism @fridayincarnate @tomatette

@transmasc-vampire-is-tired

@bostarsky

@nancyreadsandwrites

[malboraslihan]

midnights starters 🕰️✨🌌 (part 2)

just a heads up: i’ve changed some words to make them work as dialogue for starters. so if it’s different than the original lyric, that’s why.

karma

you're talking shit for the hell of it

karma's a relaxing thought, aren't you envious that for you it's not?

don't you know that cash ain't the only price?

ask me what I learned from all those years

ask me what I earned from all those tears

ask me why so many fade but I'm still here

sweet nothing

they said the end is coming

i find myself running home to your sweet nothings

outside, they're push and shoving you're in the kitchen humming

all that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing

to you I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it

mastermind

you and I ended up in the same room at the same time and the touch of a hand lit the fuse

what if I told you none of it was accidental and the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me

what if I told you I'm a mastermind? and now you're mine

we were born to be the pawn in every lover's game

if you fail to plan, you plan to fail

no one wanted to play with me as a little kid so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since

i’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless

this is the first time I've felt the need to confess

i'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care

hits different

i washed my hands of us at the club

you made a mess of me

i pictured you with other girls in love

they say that if it's right, you know

each bar plays our song, nothing has ever felt so wrong

moving on was always easy for me to do

it hits different 'cause it's you

i used to switch out these Kens i'd just ghost, rip the band aid off and skip town

now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings

i never don't cry at the bar, my sadness is contagious

i slur your name til someone puts me in a car

i stopped receiving invitations

make it make some sense why the wound is still bleeding

you were the one that I loved, don't need another metaphor it's simple enough

you once believed in me

i felt you and I held you for a while, bet I could still melt your world

is that your key in the door? is it okay? is it you? 

have they come to take me away?

love is a lie

shit my friends say to get me by, cause it's you

the great war

my hand was the one you reached for all throughout the Great War

i vowed not to cry anymore

i drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone

i really thought I'd lost you

we're burned for better

i vowed i would always be yours

bigger than the whole sky

every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness

you were bigger than the whole sky

you were more than just a short time

i'm never gonna meet what could've been, would've been, what should've been you

did some force take you because I didn't pray?

i've got a lot to live without

paris

your ex-friend's sister met someone at a club and he kissed her, turns out it was that guy you hooked up with ages ago

did you see the photos?

i'm so in love that I might stop breathing

no, I didn't see the news ‘cause we were somewhere else

i was taken by the view like we were in Paris

romance is not dead if you keep it just yours

sit quiet by my side in the shade

i want to brainwash you into loving me forever

i want to transport you to somewhere the culture's clever

high infidelity 

i didn't know you were keeping count

put on your records and regret me, i bent the truth too far tonight

do you really want to know where I was April 29th?

you know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love, the slowest way is never loving them enough

do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?

glitch 

we were supposed to be just friends

you don't live in my part of town but maybe I'll see you out some weekend

i was supposed to sweat you out

five seconds later I'm fastening myself to you with a stitch

I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing

i thought we had no chance and that's romance

would’ve, could’ve, should’ve

if you tasted poison you could've spit me out at the first chance

if I was some paint, did it splatter on a promising grown man?

all I used to do was pray would've, could've, should've if you'd never looked my way

i damn sure never would've danced with the devil at nineteen

now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts

now that I know i wish you'd left me wondering

you made me feel important and then you tried to erase us

god rest my soul, i miss who I used to be

i regret you all the time, i can't let this go

i fight with you in my sleep 

the wound won't close

living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts

give me back my girlhood, it was mine first

dear reader

if it feels like a trap you're already in one

get out your map pick somewhere and just run

never take advice from someone who's falling apart

you don't have to answer, just 'cause they asked you

i prefer hiding in plain sight

if you knew where I was walking to a house, not a home, all alone

my friends found friends who care

no one sees when you lose when you're playing solitaire

you should find another guiding light

[little-puku]

As some of you might know I am making a Found family/Papa Ingo au (open to change in the future since I am just doing things as the story develops), with some character. Finally I decide to organize my thoughts since there are a lot of ideas I am planing to do. New ideas are always welcome so feel free to give me some more

✨ The list of characters of the au: ✨

Sugi

Omet and Miles

Richie 

Wamu

Genba

Rosie

Hazel

still need to work on the other characters too, I will keep updating this as the time passes

Under the read more you can find the comic ideas I am working on and  some I have done before, some ships names that you might find between some friend’s oc and mine:

💖Ship names: 💖

Penpastshipping || Ingo x Sugi 

Sunflowershipping  || Renee x Kaede 

Fashion Disaster Shipping || Kaede x Pecha

Gaming Bros Shipping || Gabi x Rawst

🙌 Finished Comics:

Hug (Penpastshipping || Ingo x Sugi) Warden Ingo has been very kind to Sugi since she arrived here in Hisui, but now she has been starting to develop a tiny bit of separation anxiety... is ok to ask for something in particular her heart desire? (Based on this lovely lil thing) 

Pen Pals (Penpastshipping || Ingo x Sugi) Ingo took Sugi to Jubilife Village but something is troubling him

✏️ Mini comic idea summary (WIP) ✏️

Rowlet’s hat (Rowlet) “Rowlet has stolen Professor Laventon hat and is flaying around with it in the whole village causing trouble and other mischief, now, is up to Rosie, Rei and the professor to get it back”

The boy and the creature (Zorua) “Omet and Miles got into an argument before their survey adventure, Miles decide to stay in Jubilife Village and let Omet do the work by himself. A sad Omet decide to adventure on the Alabaster Iceland, feeling lonely and scared he didn’t realize that a curious creature decide to approach him”

Perish Song (Misdreavus) “Recently at night in the Coronet Highlands people has been hearing some ghostly singing voices, Hazel got assigned to figure out who or what is the source of the problem”

Dimension Transfer (Porygon-z) Porygon-Z was been studied by their respective researches but one day The Pokémon just vanished into thin air, this been attributed to possible “incompetence of the program update” little did the academics knew that one day Porygon-Z will come back with some memories from the past

Headbutt (Cranidos) In the name of science Wamu, Richie and Akari want to test if they are able to beat a Cranidos’s headbutt, this already sounds like a bad idea but they all have the necessary safety equipment for the job.

Nary Sugi has started to go into labor and she really wants Warden Ingo at her side… and it seems she is presenting some complication, she send her Beautifly to search for Ingo… but will he be able to reach the warden on time? 

Stitchets of care Warden Ingo dreads trying to mend his uniform. It's one of the few things he still has from his past and he is afraid of altering it in any shape or form. One day a young hatchling tears up his hat he has left back at the cave after being called out for an emergency, he's initially heartbroken and ready to part with it complelty. Sugi has good intentions on fixing and stitching it back together… but will she be able to do it? She is not the best but she sure will try 

Bonding ritual for men Gaeric wants to bound with Warden Ingo since there aren’t many adult in the pearl clan he can be friends with. His intentions are good but will ingo survive them? 

Camera Flash (Kaede x Ren) Kaede was minding his own business when suddenly a camera flash get his attention, did someone just took a photo of him??? of him of all people?? his insecurities start to rise until he found out the “culprit” (little silly comic I want to do based on this )

[art-of-manliness]

Iron Your Jeans, Pardner

YOU DO NOT IRON A CREASE IN YOUR JEANS! That’s been the golden rule of denim for years. Why? Simple. Jeans are casual. Workwear. Creases spell formality. Mixing the two? It’s like wearing a tuxedo to mow the lawn. But my old man, Tom McKay, ironed his jeans religiously. Well, he wore ironed jeans. My mom did the actual ironing. As a federal game warden, Dad’s work uniform was a pair of crisply ironed bootcut Wranglers, a pique polo, and cowboy boots. As a kid, I remember watching Mom iron a sharp crease into my dad’s jeans while she watched Touched by an Angel and thinking to myself, “What gives? Jeans aren’t business slacks!” Fast-forward to me in my 40s, and I’m flipping through old photos at my folks’ house. There’s Dad in his razor-sharp creased Wranglers, and damn if he doesn’t look like he means business. Tom McKay, meaning business in his ironed Wranglers, circa 1989. But I also started noticing ironed Wranglers in other places besides my old family photo albums. The troubadour George Strait rocks creased Wranglers like they’re dress pants (even wearing them with a tuxedo top). Cowboys in rural Oklahoma sport pressed denim like it’s their Sunday best. Turns out, there’s a whole subset of cowboys who swear by starched, ironed jeans. Their reasons? * Protection: They claim the starch acts like armor. (Debatable — science says it might weaken the fabric.) * Looks sharp: A crease in your Wranglers says, “I’m ready to bale some hay, but I could also take my gal to Cattleman’s Steakhouse right afterward.” Besides seeing them on 90s country music legends and cowpokes in Blanco, OK, I’ve also been seeing ironed Wranglers amongst the hip, young crowd. Bootcut Wranglers, ironed to perfection, are becoming a thing amongst fashion-forward cool dudes. Even the Wrancher — a polyester cowboy dress pant (another style staple of Tom McKay) — is gaining traction. And so, curiosity got the better of me. I took the plunge and ironed my Cowboy Cut Wranglers. Reader, it’s a solid look. At least, I think so. Here are a few looks I put together with my ironed jeans: Calling this first fit “The Tom McKay”— ironed bootcut Wranglers with a pique polo shirt and a thick leather belt. Pops was a Land’s End polo shirt man, but he had a few Lacoste polo shirts too. He mixed Southwestern desert vibes with 80’s tennis preppy. The man had style! Sporting my Grandpa Bill Hurst’s Western sport coat and bolo tie. Great for Sunday church services or when you’re solving a murder in a Cormac McCarthy novel.  Repping my New Mexican heritage with the yellow Zia red sun t-shirt. Tucked-in, natch. Cowboy belt from Zilker. It’s funny how life works. Here I am, channeling my dad’s 40-year-old style. Cat’s in the cradle, indeed. A Few Thoughts On Ironing Jeans: * Stick to bootcut Wranglers. Ironing your jeans is a Western thing. Your straight-fit selvedge denim? Don’t iron them. Also, since you’re ironing your bootcut Wranglers, wear cowboy boots with them. * Iron them just like you would dress pants. See our extensive guide on how to iron pants. My mom recommended that you use a lot of steam to get that sharp crease in the jeans. I starched mine and liked the results. It might not be good for the fabric, but boy howdy does it provide a nice, crisp crease. * Dress high, medium, and low. Dress up your ironed jeans with a fancy Western shirt and sport coat, go Tom-McKay-business-casual with the pique polo, or take things down a notch with a tucked-in tee and a cool belt. Want to shake up your style? Give ironed Wranglers a shot. They mean business. Help support independent publishing. Make a donation to The Art of Manliness! Thanks for the support! http://dlvr.it/TD8nzK

[dustedmagazine]

The Paranoid Style – The Interrogator (Bar/None)

Photo by Tad Unreasonable

Listening to Elizabeth Nelson talk erudite shit on The Interrogator, I can’t get Isabel Baker’s dusty, full-throated “I Like God’s Style” out of my head. It’s the jaunty theatricality, the way both Baker and Nelson barrel into their music, the assured grandiosity in their vocal bearing. With vastly different recording fidelity, the barely researchable, proto-Christian Rock teenager Baker and the cosmopolitan, multi-hyphenate Nelson each demand center stage from note one.

Other, perhaps more sonically precise things come to mind over The Interrogator’s 13 tracks: ZZ Top’s fuzzed-out sleaze; the wry, sneering energy of Supersuckers; Elvis Costello’s frothy take on Americana; even Liz Phair with quicker-to-hand, if shallower, retorts. I also couldn’t shake the sound of the full-on rock band iteration of The Mountain Goats — Peter Hughes, Jon Wurster, horns. To my ear, there’s a lot of John Darnielle in Nelson’s delivery too, not only the verbose spiels, but how she wrings melody and affect from that verbosity when she wants to —  the shudder in her voice on “The Findings” as she finishes the line “and then the youth movement always fails,” or the empathetic rendering of her characters in “Print The Legend,” an update of Robert Earl Keen’s “The Road Goes On Forever.” Darnielle finds great ferocity in desperation as a vocalist, but desperation isn’t really Nelson’s game. The overwhelming sense is that she’s seen it all, or at least that it's important for the listener’s suspended disbelief to think so. Another of Baker’s songs, “This Ol’e Worlds’ a Big Let Down” seems like a good pass at Nelson’s starting point. For Baker, the bummer is redeemed because there’s something better on the other side, while for Nelson, watching the world burn isn’t even revelatory, because what else would it do? Still, she’d like to discuss the shortcomings that got us here.

“The Ballad Of Pertinent Information (Turn It On)” is a particularly successful expression of this sentiment. A heroic piece of power pop, the song includes a killer call-and-response chorus and houses telling lines like “let’s dance until something awful happens” and “burned in the fire/hung in a cell/there are oh so many dudes who think they get me so well.” To that last point, even if, like me and Robert Christgau, you aren’t sure you do get all of Nelson’s jokes, songs like “...(Turn It On),” “The Return Of The Molly Maguires,” “A Bad Day For The Group Chat” and “The Drop Is Steep,” find her holding triumphant court, gleefully riffing over tasty riffs — often courtesy of new lead guitarist and former-dB Peter Holsapple — on everything from financial precarity and long-dead humorists to Irish politics and aging. In most of The Interrogator’s best moments, The Paranoid Style are a pummeling bar band. A charming balance between playing tight and loose, at once exhilarated and weary; drunk on their ability to turn out phrases and tunes, tracing a route through the higher and lower forms of societal chaos.

Nelson’s urge to namecheck historical happenings loses urgency in the tossed off litany of 20th century antagonists on “Styles Make Fights.” And while “I Love The Sound Of Structured Class” gets in some good, character-sketching lines (“still waiting on the lifeline/from the kind of folks/who share opinions like mine” and “I’ve spent time in education/I’ve spent time in jail/I’ve drunk from the river basin/I have skied in Vail’ among them), the song crashes on the awkward quasi-wordplay of its titular refrain.

“Are You Loathsome Tonight?” is a more successful near-pun. The eighth song, it’s one of two slower numbers on The Interrogator and finds Nelson matching twinkling piano and mournful slide guitar with a vocal performance that isn’t hesitant but thoughtful. It allows her the space to evoke melancholy from unexpected places, like “savoy truffles, finely baked minds/media kerfuffles” and “believe me I know/how to vouchsafe a nation.”

“The Findings,” paced at the same tempo, is Nelson’s clearest statement of purpose. Over airy keys and wavering guitar chords, she gives a survey of her lyrical darlings. The digs (“you’d be the scariest thing in The Shining”), the politics (“passage of the 26th amendment”), and the unsettling contradictions of modernity (“come for the hors d’oeuvres/and stay for the horrors”). Following a winking quotation of “My Way,” she ends the song, and the album, repeating “and those are the findings/those are findings.” Isabel Baker may have found the Good News, but Elizabeth Nelson found the rest of it.

Alex Johnson

[iced-souls]

So my dad’s side of the family came over yesterday, and boy oh boy it sure was a time—

First, gingerbread house construction—

Aka; the test of your strength, adaptability, and how long you can stay sane.

Conclusion: by the end of it no one was sane.

We put on pentatonic Christmas music and that’s when the houses started to fall down to the beat of the songs—

OOH WAIT I HAVE SOME PHOTOS OF THE FINAL PRODUCTS—

Your welcome for my wonderful photo taking skills.

Also would like to add that for me and my siblings when we do this every year I have the greatest deja vu so I’m pretty sure the results are the same every year really lol—

So first up mine:

Basically just trying to getting the icing evenly covering most of the thing, makes the gingerbread good. And yeah. Pretty normal, and pretty sure I’m the only one who got mine up with no casualties-.

Then the one my cousin made:

They got a different box so there’s looks a lil different-.

Only casualty with this one was the roof kept sliding or falling off, plus one of the walls caved in on itself at 1 or 2 points. They had a chimney come with there’s but couldn’t risk it—. Bonus points for the wonderful decoration of peppermints slapped on the front and the man who’s only feature is a big frickin nose and the man with a wonderful smile.

Now onto some goodies, first my younger sibling:

Average joe but most of the side aren’t done due to worry of more casualties after the entire things fell down to the second pentatonix song, plus more walls caving in-. My favourite part is the big smear on the front of the building BECAUSE that was originally where they put the man, who is now just on the roof, was. Aka where we crucified him. But they started to just very slowly slide off. They also came up with the idea to cover up the back door with one of the other gingerbread things.

NOW LAST BUT NOT LEAST. the absolute best one. The one from my older sibling:

The final product somehow stayed up but we blame it on the fact that their doing engineering in school. They also put a roof helper thing on afterwards but I;d also like to point out that their house was also frickin WONKY?????

Got like dr.suess-.

Anyways yeah. Pentatonix stopped playing and we got different songs after.

there was a lot of “WE GOT IT HOT HOT HOT” “HOT CHO-CO-LAHT!”

And that was that-.

SECOND.

There was this mug game that my nanny made where there was random stuff hidden under a bunch of mugs and each person would get to choose and see what they got.

I suggested that it would be cool if once one person go their thing we could MUG them eh ke ke ke-.

My dad got frickin 22 bucks. I chose from my spamton mug and got a white circular candle (that kinda looked like a pipis) and 5 bucks, but my nanny said there was an egg under there, and my mom got nothing first try and then the egg, so we traded where she got the candle and I got the egg ah HAHAHA.

Anyways that was that, overall after our sanity already gone 100%, that game chipped away a little more of sanity making it 101% gone.

LASTLY

presents were pretty normal, except for 1 point where we were doing the thing where you take something from the pile or steal another persons thing. 1st, my older sib got this big fuzzy blanket. 2nd my aunt, who was the one who bought the blanket, stole from him. 3rd my dad steals from her. Then last person goes aka my mom, she knows what the last gift in the pile is so she goes to steal from somebody, would’ve stolen from my dad but same family so she would get the blanket regardless, ended up stealing from my uncle. Your not allowed to steal from the person who just stole from you btw. 3rd since my aunt and uncles family also wants the blanket, my uncle steals from my dad. PANIC. then my mom and dad have a plan and so my dad steals from my mom who’m then my mom steals back the blanket.

Luckily it ended there cause my uncle was peaceful enough to take the last gift. But if he stole from my aunt that CHOAS WOULD RAIN OH MY FRICKIN GOASH.

Anyways last thing. Apart of the end of the night.

First we made fun of my dog cause he’s a lil dummy dumb who’m we love.

Then what cause every ounce of our existence and so it’s to be gone:

We were doing those pictures where you view the person from the top of their head down.

It was already funny, and then my dad did one and he did a face with an overbite, he commented saying that the picture looked like he was getting kicked in the nuts.

Then the one that caused us all to just simply die was one that my cousin had done a while ago just, omg god it was so good tho—. They had the tounge in there somehow—

The best description of what it looked like came from my dad who said it looked like someone put their face into a blender.

I laughed so much it got to the point where my chest hurt, my throat was dry and aching, my stomach ached, everything hurt.

Oh god.

Anyways.

Now I have my moms side to go to tomorrow—.

Wish me luck—

Overall: I am dead.

Merry Christmas!

[holdingontoheadache]

Hi, Doly! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

It’s definitely my longest save! I’ve not played it in awhile though! But I do love my house in it from what I can remember. As you said, cheers to shit memory, I truly forget things so often and easily. It can be a bit frustrating. I love a lot of games! I tend to really like story based games but usually I’ve not played them but watched creators play them because I don’t/didn’t have the consoles to play them! Like I really enjoyed watching people play Firewatch, it’s such a beautiful game and I liked the story. I also like games like Until Dawn and The Quarry! I think decision based games like that are very fun especially when you have to make quick decisions and it effects your story. I have a switch lite so I tend to play just stardew, Minecraft and animal crossing because I feel like a lot of the games I’ve listed aren’t great to play on switch annnd I’ve got pretty bad drift. Other games I’ve watched people play that I enjoyed were: It Takes Two, A Way Out, Twelve Minutes also a classic The Last Of Us and so many more I just can’t remember them rn! What games do you tend to enjoy?

You definitely have to show me when we get the chance, I’d love to see! I don’t think I have a collection of like one singular character or anything like that. I think I just collect weird knickknacks and vinyl honestly! But I do want to collect more things, I almost started collecting carebear memorabilia earlier this year!

I’m very excited for Niall’s new album and I’m also very excited for his friend Lewis Capaldi’s new album next year!

I hope it’s feeling like the holidays where you are, unfortunately for me the weather makes it hard to feel like it’s even winter! It was 81F today!!! That’s outrageous for December! But I did recently help decorate the house for Christmas which was very nice, it’s the first time my family has put up a tree in like six years! I have my own mini one but it’s nice having a big one. Have you decorated for the Christmas holiday if you celebrate?

Okay, speed round!!!

What does your dream home look like? I think mine would be like a house from the 70s I just loved the aesthetics. I would kill to have some kind of conversation pit in my home and I’d have a whole area for my record player set up and I lose my mind when I see houses that have atriums!! How cool is that?! I think it would be filled with posters, knickknacks, rugs, blankets and just weird stuff! Also mid century is very good too if done right, I hate when people flip older homes, they get rid of the character and style and turn it into a boring all white like chic farmhouse and it’s just awful to me.

Do you think different types/brands of water taste different? I definitely think they do!!

What’s your favorite snack? I tend to like any kind of hot chips and I’m not the biggest sweets kinda person I think? I like very specific sweet stuff! I’m more of a spicy/salty snack person than a sweets one.

What’s a weird side of YouTube you think you’re on sometimes? For me, my dad and I fell down this weird hole of this guy exploring abandoned homes in Canada? It’s truly amazing to me because some are what he calls time capsules where people have just left everything behind and others are very expensive homes left behind and a lot of the time I think what happened? Why did they up and leave? But most of the time I’m just in awe of some of the houses and the stuff left behind like family photos in some! Also I just enjoy seeing weird/extravagant homes completely empty.

Are you the kind of person that needs something on to fall asleep, or nothing at all on ooorrr can you do both? I think I always need something on. My go to sleep aid sound is harsh rain on a window, I swear I could sleep through a hurricane the way I sleep though the rain. I tend to fall asleep with something on the tv.

I’ll cut it there for today, I hope you’re doing well and having a relaxing weekend! Sending lots of love and happy times your way! Talk to ya tomorrow! ❤️

-🎉❄️

Hello, lovely!! Hope your weekend is treating you very well!! ✨sending all the positive vibes back to you, hun!! 💕

We are literally the same person when it comes to video games and idk how to take that lol. Love that for us!! I tend to watch other “let’s players” play the really well know games on pc/console cause I just don’t have the skill/patience to learn such skill to play them!! Plus, I find it more enjoyably to just sit back and watch them go through the struggles of the game rather myself raging through it 😅. I remember back when Markiplier played firewatch and I was just in utter awe of the aesthetic/story of the game!! I have to rewatch him play it sometime! Some of the games I’ve watched that I absolutely loved have to be God of War, Resident Evil franchise, The Last Guardian, Papers Please, Cuphead, Little Nightmares, Undertale, The Last of Us, the list truly goes on!! Decision-based/fast-paced games are my bread and butter!! I feel strongly on the “early pc strategy/time-management games (dinner dash or equivalent) to farming games” pipeline to be very strong lol. If it has any of those premises, I’m all in 100%!! I’m also a huge fan of the Pokémon franchise and their games, so I’d say I fall into that as well. I’m open to all games within that particular category.

I used to be obsessed with Care Bears!! That’s so valid!!

81°F?!?? Oh my! The highest in my area today had to have been maybe ~50°F. Because I live in the northeast, I find that to be relatively warm in comparison to what I’m used to for the colder months. Hopefully you’re finding ways to stay cool in the heat! And yes, I did decorate for Christmas!! Not as much as years prior cause my parents and I are headed down to Puerto Rico for the holidays!! I do celebrate Christmas, but not necessarily in a religious way. We do participate in the gift-giving aspect and getting together and all that, but that’s relatively it.

Speed Round Answer!! Dream home? For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived within the city! And while I have a love/hate relationship with that, I would love to be able to live in a rural area and, just, have my own space. I don’t have any particular look that I’m looking for in a house, just as long as I have a room that I can convert into an art studio!! I would also love to have a proper vinyl setup where I can play/display my records comfortably!! And maybe a decent sized yard for the pets to run around and enjoy themselves!! Does water taste different? Oh, absolutely 100%!! I am a Dasani hater lol. Dasani tastes like sink water!! Smart water, in my opinion, is the best!! But in all reality, water tastes like water. I tend to buy the generic store-brand bottles of water and I don’t have any complaints about it lol. I would just rather drink sink water than Dasani!! Fav. snack? I tend to lean more to sweets when it comes to snacks, but also depends on the mood I’m in!! I really enjoy those Chex Mix bags that are cookies and cream flavored that you can get at gas stations or wawa/sheetz (idk what the equivalent would be in your area if you don’t have either of these franchises lol). I don’t get them often, but I would say that!! In terms of salty snacks, I’m a basic person and either pick up a bag of Cheetos Puffs or Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips 😬. Weird side of YouTube? Hmmmm.. lately, I’ve fallen on the side of YouTube where people explain the complexities/obscurities of very niche topics. Like, the other day, I found this YouTuber who talked about the lore of Martha Speaks/Word Girl. Another one was the rise/downfall of club penguin and rating very obscure movies/books they’ve read. It’s great, honestly! I recommend it lol. Sleep Habits? I feel like I can fall asleep relatively quickly, but I can’t sleep without the fan being on or else I feel like my body is static. Sleeping in utter silence is my villain origin story!! It also has to be almost completely dark! I used to be able to sleep with the tv on, but even that has to be off. Someone can be calling my name and I won’t budge, but once the sunlight or anything like that brightens the room, I’m up!! 🎄✨

[makaaaa24]

GameDay

Game time is all I'm thinking about before getting onto the bus. I'm sitting down on the gym's bleachers waiting for the bus’s arrival adding new songs to my playlist. Coach said it’s going to be a 7-hour bus ride, I’ve never been that far from home before even though we won’t have time to walk around I’m still excited to see the city. Coach gathers us all around in the gym and tells us he assigned seats to each of us, I thought that was lame, I wanted to sit beside my best friend Jackson and I know coach isn’t gonna sit us together. Everyone seemed annoyed at the coach's decision especially me because apart from Jackson there aren’t many guys that I am close to on the team like I am with Jackson. Jackson and I joined the team around the same time and both of us play defence so we’re side by side each other basically all of the time. We watched film together, studied our opponents together and come to each other's house every weekend. There's no one else I'd wanna sit with for 7 hours. 

Coach is about to start calling names and i look to Jackson and i tell him 

“Don’t get your hopes up, I already know coach isn’t gonna seat us together” 

“Yeah I figured, I just hope I don’t get seated with Fart bug” Jackson replied. 

“Shoot!” I say to myself, I totally forgot about fart bug, I already know coach is gonna sit me with him “ugh.” 

Coach Starts calling out names one by one i see all the ‘good’ candidates to sit with going 

Coach calls out a couple more names before he finally gets to me. I look around the gym and I see six more guys standing around and one of them is fart bug. I see Ramel and we lock eyes, Ramel is also on the defence and we’ve spoken a couple times so I wouldn’t mind sitting with him, it would only make sense we’re the last two defensive guys. 

“Malik! you’ll be sitting with Tariq”

I already knew it was going to be fart bug… I just got my bags and got ready for what was about to be the worst 7 hours of my life. Someone please open a window… 

The bus comes and everyone gets seated and I take the window seat and Tariq aka fart bug takes the isle, I turn my music on and i close my eyes as the bus takes off, I wake up about 2 hours later, my music still blasting i see mostly everyone on the bus sleeping except for fart bug, I notice he’s looking at pictures on his phone. 

“Who are they to you?” I ask, he looks at me for a couple seconds then back at his phone 

“My family” he replies, “my mom and my two older brothers” 

“That’s cool, i use my family photos as motivation too” 

Tariq and I spoke for hours on the way to the game. He shared his family stories and I shared mine. We had a lot of things in common I never would’ve thought. Tariq told me his older brothers are the reason he plays football because his oldest brother was shot and killed just before he was going to play division 1 football in Alabama. I felt so bad for him, once his brother died his mom went into a depressed state and has been struggling ever since it’s only him and his brother who do try their best to make a living. Everyone on the team calls him fartbug because he smells pretty bad often but it’s really only because he can’t afford to wash his clothing. I’ve seen a whole new side of him and I was taught that I should never judge somebody without knowing their story on that ride to our game I made a new close friend 

[yungkiszka]

|NSFW Alphabet | Josh Kiszka

A/N: I’ve been waiittiinngg to post this, I love reading these so I said fuck it and made my own so this is the first one. enjoy ;)

Warnings: SMUT OBVIOUSLY! STRAIGHT FILTHHYYY MY MAN

(all writing I post is mine, please do not steal my work)

─────────⊱⁜⊰─────────

A= Aftercare ( what they are like after sex)

•Josh is the biggest softy you know. He tries to hide it from others, but you know how he truly is.

• He will kiss your body on any surface he left marks on, grab you water, play with your hair, start a hot bath for you, literally anything. He treats you like a Queen.

• He is a bit of a switch so when your dom, he always wants cuddles and kisses right after you guys are done.

B= Body Part ( favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

• On him: his lips, 100%. He knows damn well they can make you crumble.

• Kissing your lips, down your body, when the graze over your pussy.

• They are so fucking soft and he knows they drive you crazy just looking at them.

• On you: BOOBS. Joshua is such a boob guy lmao

• He not only loves laying on them, but also cumming on them.

• He loves to tease you by kissing then, lightly sucking your nipples.

•Hickeys. All over your tits.

C= cum (literally anything to do with cum)

• If he’s not cumming inside of you (in your pussy or mouth) he’s definitely cumming on your tits.

• he loves to watch you take your finger, scoop up some of his cum and lick it off the tip of your finger.

•Literally has a breeding kink. No doubts.

D= dirty secret (little dirty secret of theirs)

• he’s always calling you mama, so one day you ‘jokingly’ called him daddy.

• Little did you know, that word drove him absolutely insane.

• He’d whisper in your ear “who’s daddy’s little slut, hm?”

• Knowing he liked it so much turned you on even more.

E= Experience (how experienced are they?)

• man’s got game. For sure.

• You definitely made a more wild side come out of him, but he knows EXACTLY what he’s doing. No further questions about it.

F= Favorite position (you already know)

• Cowgirl is his fucking favorite.

• Seeing your face while you ride him, that smirk on his face ugh.

• He can grab your throat and say “what a good girl mama”

• He can thrust into you fast, making you fall on top of him, tits in his face while you moans are muffled into the pillow under his head.

G= Goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are the humorous, etc)

•Josh is definitely a serious one during sex

•He’ll only giggle when teasing you, it amuses him to see how needy you are for him.

H= hair (how well groomed are the down there)

•he definitely keeps it cleaned up, not very long at all.

•He doesn’t go full on bald, he leaves a good amount but trimmed very well for you.

I= intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

All depends on his mood

He can be very gentle

He’ll praise you, your body, telling you how beautiful you are and how much he loves you

Then there’s other times where he’s degrading you non stop

You’re like a toy to him, he will throw you around

“You like being my little slut, huh?”

Choking, slapping, hair pulling and all that good stuff.

Calling you mama no matter what he’s doing to you, obviously.

J= jack off (masturbation headcannon)

before you he jerked off a good amount, but he does even more now that’s he with you.

He gets lonely when you aren’t able to be with him for some shows

Sexting all the time when you’re not with him, you like to tease him a lot. He’ll be sitting in his green room before a show, looking at some spicy Polaroids he has of you and photos in his phone. Instantly he gets hard, he’ll undo his jumpsuit, grabbing his throbbing dick and jerking off to you. His head thrown back, imaging what you two could be doing in that moment.

Also, he makes sure to record videos or take pics for you when you aren’t there.

K= kink (one or more of their kinks)

daddy kink, 10000% and he loves to call you mommy when he’s sub.

“You gonna beg for daddy to fuck you mama?” Or “please mama I can’t take it anymore, I need you.”

breeding kink.

He loves to blindfold you, not knowing what he’s gonna do to you.

He loovvvees leaving love bites all over you, he’d does not give a single fuck who sees them. Especially when he’s on tour and can’t be with you, that man basically owns you let’s me real. He’s protective af.

L= location (favorite place to do the deed)

this man will fuck you anywhwre.. and I mean ANYWHERE

you guys had a picnic on a hike once, no one was there so yoy bet he fucked you on the top of the trail.

Shower sex, car sex, simple bedroom sex it doesn’t matter.

Minutes before he has to go onstage, fuck it, he’s pulling out a quickie.

That man loves to fuck. (As dr.jmk once said “it’s all about fucking”🤣)

M= motivation (what turns them on, or gets them going)

When you starte right into his eyes with those fuck me eyes, biting your bottom lip.

He loovveess when you wear skirts, seeing your thighs peeking out, how it rises when you sit down, damn it drives him insane.

Simply calling him ‘babe’ or ‘baby’ in a certain tone will make him grab you right then and there and fuck the life out of you.

N= no (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

•He’s literally down to try anything, but of something makes you uncomfortable he won’t do it.

•However, he will NOT share. No threesomes or anything, he’s so fucking protective.

O= oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc )

•that mans mouth/ tounge works WONNDEERRSS

•he’s talented is so many ways ;)

He lovvves eating you out, it boosts his ego ngl. Seeing you squirm under his touch, his tounge.

Licking up all your wetness, pulling his fingers out of you and putting them in his mouth with that fucking smirk on his face.

However, he fucking loves fucking your mouth, hearing you gag on his big dick drives him crazy. He literally smiles watching you choke on it.

P= pace (are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? Etc)

again, all depends on his mood.

He does love fucking the shot out of you though, you’re always being a brat so he likes to punish you.

But, he also likes to give it you slow and tease you

Nice sensual slow sex is y’all’s when you’re feeling down and he wants to show you how amazing you are, just some you some love.

And most of the time, he’s just railing you tbh.

Q= quickie (their opinion on quickies, how often, ect)

like said before, this man is always down for quikies before meetings, interviews or shows.

So it does happen often

He still makes sure he shows yoy how fucking beautiful you are.

R= risk (are they down to expirement? Do they take risk? Ect)

YES! The thought of being caught makes him so fucking hard

There’s been times where one of the other guys have walked in on you just making out but not full on fucking, he wishes someone would. Why? You’ll never know, just turns him on.

S= stamina (how many rounds can they go, how long do they last..)

This guy can go for a least 3 rounds, he will never get sick of fucking you let’s be real

His stamina is pretty normal, but it does take a lot to actually make him tired.

You on the other hand, you’re dead after the second round but you always want more.

T= Toy ( do they own toys? Do they use them in their self or even their partner?)

vibrating panties. He lovessss using them in public, when you guys are out with the boys, anywhere. You never know when he’s gonna turn it on and make you squirm.

Vibrating wand, he uses that in hopes you’ll squirt, which you do.

Handcuffs, rope, all that good stuff for suuuree;)

U- unfair (how much they like to tease you)

He’s a master at teasing, and you hate it but love it.

He has a decent amount of self control so he can keep touching you and doing whatever he wants to you without wanting to fuck you right away

V= volume (how loud they are, wfat sounds they make..)

he’s either grunting in your ear or whispering praises in your ear.

He can be loud af but you love it

“Ah, fuck mama! You’re gonna make me fuckin’ cum!”

Very vocal.

W= wildcard (lost a random headcanon ;) )

He lovvees seeing you in a plaid skirt, he will slip his hand under and start circling your clit no matter where you two are.

X= x-ray (let’s see what’s goin on under those pants )

Josh is thick AND long

We are talking a solid 8 inches, and decently thick.

Y= yearning (how high is their sex drive)

So high.

This man thinks about sex all the fucking time.

He can control himself, but he doesn’t want to.

Z= zzz ( how quickly the fall asleep afterwards)

he never falls asleep before you

He makes sure you’re all set and sound asleep before he even thinks about shutting his eyes.

[yuikomorii]

Yui’s friends

I've had a strong desire to write game scenarios based on Yui's life prior to meeting the Sakamaki brothers. I also didn’t name the friends since in the game the classmates or other characters are basically nameless and only letters such as A, B, C and so on are used to differentiate them. This was mostly inspired by an old post in which it was shown that Yui has never had true friends(sadly). Enjoy! <3

Yui: (Today is my first time going out with someone other than my father, therefore I'm definitely looking forward to it! I'm glad I was finally able to make some friends, these girls… They appear to be very nice!)

Friend A: Hello~! Earth to Yui-chan, are you there?

Friend B: Seems like someone is spacing out again, huh?

Yui: Eeh!? Ah..— I’m so sorry! Have you called me for a long time…?

Friend A: Don’t worry about that, shall we finally go now?

Friend B: We should if we still want to catch the mall open.

Place: Mall

Yui: Uwah… it’s so big !

Friend A: Fufu…haha..!

Yui: Eh? Why… Why are you laughing?

Friend A: N-Nothing, I just liked your reaction; it’s only a regular mall.

Friend B: Say Yui-san… you never went shopping before, did you?

Yui: T-That’s…— I did but the mall I visited with my father… it definitely was different from this one.

Friend B: I see… well, don’t you think this is your chance to find something nice to buy?

Yui: That could be the case. Although, I wouldn’t like to spend a lot of money.

Friend A: Eeh? Why not? Those are yours for a reason, no?

Yui: Uhm… not really. You see, my father gave me some money for today, I didn’t work for it, for this reason it’s not entirely mine.

Friend B: However, you should not pass up the opportunity to buy anything you want simply because of this. Don’t you think your father would be pleased if you bought something that made you happy?

Yui: Well, now that you’re phrasing it like that…

Friend A: Come on~ Look at that shop! The prices aren’t even that high, we should check it!

Timeskip

Friend A: Hoh… heavy…!

Yui: Do you need help?

Friend A: No, no, I’m fine. Anyway, what did you buy?

Yui: Me? Ah… I didn’t buy anything.

Friend A: Wah…——! N-Nothing at all!?

Yui: That’s correct. I thought the outfits were cute but something else actually caught my attention.

Friend A: Let me guess, it was a boy, right~?

Yui: W-Woah… that’s not it! I just thought the necklace over there looked really pretty…!

Friend A: And? What’s stopping you from buying it?

Yui: Hmm… I don’t think it’s very affordable.

Friend A: What a pity!

Friend B: Girls! The mall will close soon, we should really hurry up!

Friend A: But Yui-chan should buy something t—

Friend B: There’s no time for that anymore!

Place: Alleyway

Yui: Over there is a cotton candy shop, and it looks delicious!

Friend B: Really? Cotton candy?Are you perhaps still a child?

Yui: Eh… I can’t see what’s so bad about it. Cotton candy is for everyone!

Friend A: Didn’t know you had a sweet tooth fufu, but you should get one if you’re already drooling.

Yui: W-What…!?

Friend A: Just kidding~ Now go, go!

Timeskip

Yui: Yummy! Do you want some?

Friend B: No thanks, I’m not really a fan of sugary stuff.

Friend A: Look at the new purikura cabin!

Yui: Ah… Uhm… I actually got to go. I'm about to miss my curfew, and if I'm late, my father will be worried...

Friend B: Geez, it’s just a photo, it won’t take that long!

Yui: But… the queue is long! I really don’t want to be late and get scolded…!

Friend A: Scolded…? Your father still does that? But you’re not a child anymore, you know.

Yui: Yes but uhm… my father is rather protective hence he simply wants me to be safe.

Friend B: Fine, fine, you can leave. I'm going to stand in line.

Friend A: Hey Yui-chan… before you leave, I want to let you know that I’m sorry you couldn’t get that necklace.

Yui: Don’t worry about that. I’m simply happy I got the chance to hang out with both of you today. You see… it was actually my first time spending time with girls, for this reason this day already became very special to me.

Friend A: And it won’t be the last time, our friendship will just keep blooming more and more!

*flashback ends*

Place: Ryōtei Academy

Monologue

I couldn't help but feel caught in a confusing emotion

as I remembered those moments.

The once-blooming bond between us

disappeared without trace.

I had to come to an abrupt conclusion

that I could never have predicted.

The reply I was longing for

Was never received.

[cheries-things]

secret santa

pairing: yunho x reader 

summary: you and yunho are each other's secret santa 

photo: ateezfilm on twitter

Ms. AZ, your Art 10 professor’s favorite holiday is Christmas.

She adorned the classroom with fairy lights, made everyone decorate the tree she brought to school, and played Christmas carols every day starting from December 1st.

So, it was not surprising when she announced on the last week before break that the class would be playing Secret Santa. 

The rule is simple. Each student draws a name to become someone’s Secret Santa, and on the last day of class, everyone will receive their gift.

You didn’t even think much of it until you read the name you had chosen from the bunch. 

Jeong Yunho. 

Yunho is the guy everyone likes, and it would be lying if you said you were an exception.

He is always smiley and full of life. It really is not difficult to feel comfortable around him. 

But, at the same time, his friendliness and all-too-perfect persona make him unapproachable.

Although he regularly borrows your supplies, your relationship is nothing more, nothing less. 

You didn’t think you would be able to buy a gift for someone you barely know, but it turns out you do know a whole lot about him. Yunho likes to collect electronics, dance, and play games.

But what can you get that he doesn’t already have? 

After a few hours of wandering from mall to mall, you decide on a “not-so-lame gift”—a reservation for glow-in-the-dark bowling.

You slipped the confirmation receipt in a nice envelope along with a scrawly message, Merry Xmas! I hope this will be a fun way to spend the holiday.”

(Flash forward to the last day of class) 

The bell rings, and everyone goes to pick up their Secret Santa gift. You and your friends sit together to open them. Your friends got teddy bears, snow globes, and perfumes, but yours was...a map???

“There are 4 treasure chests Y/N! You’re getting 4 presents!” 

Wow, your Secret Santa really knew how to make it interesting. After deciding that you would go treasure hunting after school, you couldn’t help but wish for time to pass faster.

As soon as class was dismissed, you dashed out the door with the map in your hands. 

In no time, you reached the location of the first treasure. Digging under the pole of the gym’s volleyball net, you found your first gift: a used eraser???

Okay, now you HAVE to know who the Secret Santa is. You followed the map to find the rest of the treasures: a used ball-point pen and an equally used brush. 

The last treasure was on the campus’s rooftop, but even though you searched every nook and cranny, you couldn’t find a gift. You were about to give up when someone tapped you from behind.

It must be your Secret Santa! 

Lo and behold, it’s Yunho. 

Yunho’s smile drops when he sees you freeze. “Are you disappointed it��s me?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just- I wasn’t expecting you.” To describe you as flustered would be an understatement.

“Are you the fourth present?” you asked, and it’s his turn to blush, “Well, that would be nice, but there’s also this,” he extends his pretty hands to give you a box with a big bow. 

Inside, there were so many art supplies that you ran out of fingers to count. “I asked your friends about what you already have, so there shouldn’t be any duplicates,” Yunho says, suddenly shy because you’re beaming at him. 

It was such a thoughtful gift, and you were so happy that you almost forgot to ask him about the 3 other gifts. “Why the used eraser, ball-point pen, and brush?” 

“Don’t they look familiar to you?” He replies, causing you to scrunch your brows.

Right...they do look awfully familiar.

“They’re mines, aren’t they?” 

Yunho nods and laughs, “I borrowed them from you, but you never asked for them back.” 

“I’m not really good at confrontations. But you could have just left them on my desk...”

“Actually, I was borrowing them as an excuse to talk to you. I thought I’d get to strike another conversation when you ask for them back, but you didn’t. By the third time, I realized you were just not going to.”

Before you had the chance to process what you have just heard, Yunho (with his long legs) is already halfway out of the rooftop.

“Merry Xmas!!!” he says hastily and runs down the stairs so he won’t do something stupid like turn red. 

“Wait, Yunho!” You barely caught up with him halfway down the stairs. “What would you have said if I did come to ask about the stationery?” 

“I wanted to ask a few questions.” 

“Yeah? What are they?” 

The fact that you still want to hear what he has to say after his not-so-smooth act earlier sent him a surge of confidence. 

He takes a step up so that he’s closer to you.

“1. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Your breath unwillingly hitched, “No...” 

The corners of his lips tugged upward, and he takes another step up, but you’re too fluttery to notice.

“2. Do you already like someone?”

You shake your head. 

“3. Are you free this Saturday?”

He is one step away from you, but his height made it close enough to feel the heat from your blushing cheeks. You shake your head again. 

“4. Can I take you on a bowling date?”

You can feel your heart explode. He clasps your hands as soon as you squeak out a “Yes,” and the two of you head down the stairs together. 

Christmas is indeed a magical season. After all, who would have thought that your first date would be at the bowling alley you reserved a week ago as a Secret Santa? 

thank you for reading; likes and reblogs are highly appreciated; for more of my cliché, click here!

To support me on Ko-Fi, click here!  

[stanyek]

BYOND DEEP DIVE

or: an essay on “dead” games

I have a long history with BYOND (short for Build Your Own Net Dream, a name and acronym that betrays its age.) A really, really long history. About half of my entire life, all the way back to, from what I can remember, December of 2009.

Like the vast majority of the people using it, I downloaded the platform for Space Station 13. I remember the exact framing, too: it was Christmas Eve or Christmas and my mom pulled me away from the computer for a family photo. I was pretty excited to get back to the game, because a scientist was busy ripping the brain out of my body to put inside of a robot.

The map that happened on doesn’t exist anymore and, as far as I’m aware, there aren’t any pictures of it, so my introduction to this game exists only in my memory, dreamlike, the 32x32 sprites rendered far more impactful and lifelike thanks to a mixture of time and a kid’s imagination.

Basically, before we can get to BYOND’s insane, seemingly undocumented and mostly unloved hoard of weird, borderline not-games, we need to talk about SS13. I’ll keep it brief, since this post/article/essay/whatever isn’t about it.

To get to the point: Space Station 13 has a Wikipedia page and the engine it’s built on doesn’t, even though it’s been around since, from what I can tell, the late 90s. ‘96 if you’re counting precursors, ‘99 in its more-or-less current state. It’s been accused of looking like spyware. It isn’t, but it looks like it.

SS13 usually has about a thousand simultaneous players during peak hours. The spot for number two is contested between Eternia and Sigrogana Legends 2, both JRPG influenced roleplaying games that, honestly, occupy that weird space between a video game and a late 2000s freeform roleplaying ProBoards forum. I played Eternia in middle and high school and it’s okay if you’re into that sort of stuff. I assume the other one is fine, too.

You boot up Murder Mansion. A social sort of murder mystery game: one player’s the killer, the others aren’t. Stop him-her. It inexplicably has a single player option (complete with bots) and the soundtrack is a handful of (presumably stolen) MIDI renditions of horror movie themes.

A friend of mine on IRC hosted the game every day for about a month in, I think, summer of 2012... aside from SS13, this’ll be one of the only games showcased that I have an actual, personal connection to.

What gets me about Murder Mansion is that it’s so obviously a labor of love. Almost all indie games are. There are seven large maps and, with the player’s slow speed (there’s a run option but there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll trip or slip on something and, quite literally, die instantly) they feel a lot larger. And the maps aren’t re-skins, either, all of them have tons of unique assets, items, etc.

Dead MMOs are sad; thousands of hours of development work over what may be a decade or more, an entire community, and what amounts to someone’s vision of a living, breathing world are strangled by the invisible hand of the free market.

Dead indie games - the multiplayer type you find on BYOND - are sadder. In Murder Mansion’s case, the developer updated it consistently for ten years, from 2003 to 2013. What we’re left with is something that feels empty, but not completely lifeless. Someone loved this game! They loved it enough to update it for years and years.

Wandering around in this game is wistful.

Mitadake High is more or less the same genre of game as Murder Mansion, except it’s set in an... anime high school.

The main difference is that, from my memories of playing Mitadake High, people got super into it. It is absolutely amazing when someone is trying their best to get into the character of a blue-haired anime boy who just killed eight people and explains to you that their motivation for murdering a pile of people is that they have tuberculosis.

Probably the only BYOND game, aside from SS13, to have a TVTropes page. Which, by the way, is extremely expansive.

Games like these are fantastic: someone saw Higurashi or something and decided to make a video game out of it. The main menu music is ear-piercingly loud and ripped directly from the show. I was once murdered for knowing someone’s name because the gamemode was literally Death Note. I saw the guy who made Tails Gets Trolled on here once and played a round with him, because of course he played this game, it’s practically made for him.

Years ago, when people still played this game, I saw someone say “Oh my Kami!” as a substitute for saying “Oh my God!” multiple times in complete seriousness.

Your middle school id laid bare to up to dozens of people, all of whom are competing for the non-award of being told after the game that your character’s improvised backstory was compelling, tragic, and deep.

In Freeside, two glowing orbs appear and compel you to commit a mass shooting in an almost entirely colorless (there’s some grass) and empty city. The roads lead nowhere: to the same grey concrete walls that make up the city’s buildings, almost completely empty except for crates and guns.

This is the Platonic ideal of a shooter. Very little explanation other than, explicitly, go forth and kill. You can’t win, but there’s a score. As far as I can tell, it isn’t uploaded to a leaderboard anywhere. This more or less illustrates the crux of what a lot of BYOND games are: hyperindividual and disconnected minigames, whether it’s competing for the title of most tragic anime mass murderer amidst an honestly hostile and combative ‘community’ of roleplayers, a sperm-based maze game where you’re racing to fertilize an egg, or a mass shooting with a score that never mattered to anyone except you.

It’s beautiful: even when there are others, there’s an audience of one.

Elora brings an issue to the fore: BYOND has games that I’m almost certain only a dozen or so people close to the developer have played longer than a minute.

The presence of a chat function insinuates that there’s something already missing; I tried, in vain, to find a monster, but the game’s selection of monsters seems limited to the cast of Back to the Barnyard, wolves, and deer. The sound your character makes when you move causes my eardrums to pulsate and throb. Elora is dozens of lakes, circular mounds of black rock, tracts of grass, dirt, and fruit trees. None of the animals, even the snarling wolves, try and hurt you. Elora is a depiction of paradise. Wolves will stand side by side with cows, boars with pigs, and so on. Jannah rendered in 32x32, just like God would’ve wanted.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking that, outside of the top three titles, two of whom are borderline identical and one of which is probably among the most resilient and  popular indie games ever made, BYOND is dead. It’s not. I’m not a mortician or an archaeologist. BYOND is very much alive: games are still being made. People still post on its antiquated forum and, more than anything else, this obscure engine for multiplayer games from the 90s is still up and running.

Certain games are dormant, sure, but they’re still full of life. Say they’re sleeping, not dead - say they’re dead and it’s for real. I already called Murder Mansion dead, probably thanks to sentimentality.

One of the most famous “dead games” isn’t even dead, for fuck’s sake.

Brief but relevant detour: when someone first posted about Worlds, a still-running 3D chatroom from the last century, on /x/ way back in 2010, 11, or 12, I can’t remember, it was marketed as a ‘dead game.’

It wasn’t: as it turned out, there was a still-active community of people playing the game. Geriatric? Sure, some of them have even passed on in the decade between then and now.

Sidenote, in case you’re the type of person to think there’s a cult in Worlds: there is no cult in Worlds, the locals are just fucking with you! Everyone used to do it. I know I did.

Still: there’s something off-putting about it all. Hundreds if not thousands of games, most of them ranging from bad to okay, all of them charming in their own way. How many hours of work, collectively, does BYOND’s catalog represent? Probably somewhere, not joking, past a million if you count SS13. Get rid of that, somewhere in the low hundred-thousands.

Most BYOND games wouldn’t be out of place on Glorious Trainwrecks - there’s an extreme earnestness behind them. Someone really wanted to make a video game, made it happen, and then moved on; orphaned games. Almost like a litter of, I don’t know, cats in a cardboard box outside of a supermarket.

According to BYOND’s hub, I am the first person to play Birdland since 2014. The menu helpfully states that the first five games are free: I have to pay for more.

As far as I know, this is the only BYOND game you have to pay for. A slow, borderline non-puzzle game with no sound aside from birds shrieking that came out in 2002. I genuinely wonder how many people bought a lifetime subscription. The link no longer works and another link, totally inert, leading nowhere, tells me that I can discuss the game on a “Birdland forum”, which no longer exists.

I am left picturing what Birdland aficionados discussed on their forum, because the game itself isn’t deep enough to answer that question.

CryptHead is less than a year old. There are four people online, just one short of the number required to start a game. I type “hello?” in chat - no response.

Hard to sum up my feelings on BYOND. If I were cynical, I’d probably use this AVGN quote: “When I was eleven years old, my whole world was video games. Just locked in my room playing Bart vs. the Space Mutants and all this crap... man, I wasted all my time on this shit. I want it back. It ruined my life.”

I’m not, though, so I’ll say this: BYOND’s the reason I started doing sprite artwork, something I really, really enjoy but haven’t been able to do lately. Something felt wrong about making art for games that I didn’t have the skillset to actually give life.

After going through the plethora of games BYOND has to offer - some good, some bad, all of them real, tangible games made by, most of the time, a single person - I can’t say I can look at it that way anymore. Sometimes, making stuff is its own reward, even if you’re the only person who’ll ever see it.

Games Shown or Mentioned

Space Station 13, Exadv1, 2003

Murder Mansion, SuperSaiyanGokuX, 2003

Mitadake High, Devourer of Souls, 2007

Freeside, Doohl, 2013

Life, Jittai, 2013

Elora, Kozuma3, 2015

Worlds Chat, Worlds Inc., 1995

Halloween: Terror, Ganing, 2009

Birdland, DDT, 2002

CryptHead, Magicbeast20, 2020