#a whole lot of talk for not even having a design for the temple she's kept in

[resetting37]

Eve's remains

I'm actually gonna answer this thank u @chthonicgodling for ur curiosity !

In response to this picture and caption:

The original Eve is in fact the founder of the city in which all of my characters live in, Evelow. To preserve her honor and reputation, every so often the kept corpse of Eve is cloned and able to live and walk with the citizens of Evelow. While clones are treated like their predecessors, they are still completely different humans with new memories and such. So not every Eve is going to behave like the original. In fact, the current Eve kind of hates people. Still demands attention though.

so the preservation of the original™ DNA is under the responsibility of the genetics department. her dna and many of the original organs are kept in a secret freezer vault that needs special clearance to access. During the days of the original Eve, cloning and the technology associated with it was much more primitive, so the priority was keeping the DNA safe and some of the organs in case they could be used for individual cloning, experimentation, and transplantation.

that leaves the shell of Eve. So this is largely inspired by the relic of mary magdalene and egyptian tomb sites (the one here is said to be of Khentkaus III, but it's the only picture and source I could find, so idk how true that is) but yeah, I still haven't decided how exposed Eve's body, but her original shell is showcased in the temple.

(It's called a temple, but people don't really worship there, it's more like a museum or a place for Evelonian scholars to gather.)

I think the body is completely hidden though from sight, due to the leaders not wanting to show a decomposed version of Eve, especially when there's a living one chilling right next door ! Sorry, there's not much a chance the body has been kept intact for almost a thousand years. I'd like to think they tried at first but gave up after some time. Maybe present day Evelow has made major achievements in embalming, they didn't have those luxuries when the first Eve was around, so it's too late.

the site and the tomb is largely maintained by the morticians and groundskeepers who preserve the appearance of the place. (The temple is located at the heart of the graveyard, which is why morticians get the ultimate say in Eve's up keeping. sorry to the scholars.)

tdlr; the dna necessary for cloning, as well as some organs for backup, are kept in secret freezer vault. The skeleton/body of Eve is kept in a temple for the public to visit.

[thydungeongal]

You've inspired me to make my own megadungeon (or at least run one), are there any good examples you know of? Since you did once mention current megadungeons doing things wrong.

I also want to say your blog and those like yours have been a major inspiration and make me want to create stuff! And have a great evening :)

Oh, I think the person who you want is @maximumzombiecreator, she's the one who's talked about modern megadungeons doing things wrong! (I think the one she was talking about was some megadungeon for Pathfinder 2e?) Oh, there was a time when @tenleaguesbeneath and @imsobadatnicknames2 vagued about one particularly catastrophic attempt by one blogger to make a D&D 5e megadungeon that never amounted to much. But yeah, I've reblogged those posts in question, and now I've summoned them so they may articulate their thoughts on the matter better.

I don't want to speak over anyone, but if I recall correctly: MZC's criticism of that PF2e megadungeon hinged on it lacking procedures for random encounters and restocking, two important things for making the megadungeon feel alive and reinforce the idea that it can't actually be meaningfully cleared, whereas the criticism of that 5e megadungeon was based on the idea that it was like. A dungeon shaped succession of linear D&D 5e adventure days. I think it was characterized as a "megadungeon-themed theme park ride," which feels very apt.

Personally, I'm a fan of the megadungeon on a conceptual level but have not had a chance to run one, but of the ones I have looked at I have a few that have stuck out to me:

Highfell is a megadungeon plus mini sandbox setting centered around a dungeon on a flying island. So, besides the dungeon itself, it immediately presents the party with the question of HOW THE HELL DO WE GET UP ON THAT FLYING ISLAND?

Rappan Athuk, originally released for 3e but having since been converted to almost every retroclone as well as Pathfinder and 5e, is pretty dang huge. I haven't delved deep into it (ha!) but it also features a whole sandbox surrounding the central dungeon, so there's potentially years worth of content in there.

Finally, not one I have actually read but that I am looking at hungrily, Halls of Arden-Vul. Everyone says it's basically a masterclass of megadungeon design, and I believe them, but also the complete version of that dungeon costs like a hundred bucks. Which is understandable since it was originally released in five volumes. But yeah, it has appeared in Bundles of Holding in the past for as little as twenty smackaroos, so I'm waiting for it to come back.

Anyway, of course a lot of classic TSR modules pretty much fit the megadungeon description these days: Temple of Elemental Evil and Undermountain I feel definitely count, and those two seem to appear on every "greatest D&D adventures ever" list. I've only skimmed through the former, but if you happen to find it floating around somewhere, maybe check it out for ideas!

[threepandas]

Counting Down: 3 [<-Prev][]

My eyes were getting worse. There was nothing the healers could really do. Because, ultimately? There was nothing actually wrong, with my eyes. They were working exactly as nature intended. Exactly as my genetics designed. It was just... badly designed. Poorly suited, unfortunate perhaps, ill optimized in every way, for my environment.

If I had been living alone? Or in a sparsely populated, low growth environment? Subterraneanly? Well, THEN my eyes would have been perfect. Perhaps a bit on the over sensitive side, but otherwise perfect. I would have been a Sage. Elevated to Pathfinder, for my ability to safely lead my tribe through the dark.

But here? On Coruscant? Amongst the constant flow of billions? It is AGONY. A disability of the worst sort. Like two ice picks, slamming light and information into my brain. At the rate I am developing...

At... At the rate I am developing?

I may eventually be as good as BLIND. Be forced to wear a glorifed blindfold. And... and when THAT, inevitably fails? As it WILL fail? There have been... been somber, serious, terrifying talks? On if I wish to first try removing myself to a remote Temple for seclusion (and risk the lack of medical care that comes with it.) or if? O-or if?

Medically, it would be better to just... replace my eyes.

T-They can't even guarantee? That it would work. There are species that see through the Force. My problem may BE that I am somehow one of them and simply not physically built for it. That I developed the needed mutation. I... I could lose my eyes for NOTHING.

Yet...?

The headaches. The LIGHT. I can not take missions anymore. Can not even help in the Crèches. Their unfiltered, unshielded Force presences? Are like staring into search lights. I can not even help with Initiate classes, having grown too fucking sensitive! How will I EVER find a Padawan?!

I... I wanted one. Someone to guide and teach. Someone to watch grow.

Maybe that grief, (that I might never have one, that I KNOW he can do better,) is what makes me so short with Qui-gon. Obi-Wan is a youngling, damn it! Not a crutch for you mental health! Something which? Of course leads me to chasing Yan's Padawan down. REPEATEDLY. (Stop running! Boy! I KNOW YOU CAN SEE ME, QUI-GON! You better STOP RUNNING!! Listen to your Aunty while she SCOLDS YOU!) Because SOMEONE needs to beat that into the stubborn, heart sick, fool's head!

Why not me? I'm stuck on medical leave! Possibly FOREVER.

(Have a treat, Obi-Wan. You're too skinny.)

It's not productive. I KNOW it's not productive. The harder I push, the more Qui-gon digs his heels in. Yan's old Padawan was many things, but weak willed? Even in the depth of his grief? Hardly one of them. The whole LINEAGE was stubbornness made manifest. Literal STONES we more agreeable and subject to change.

I just wished Padawan Kenobi wasn't the one paying for it.

So, I helped. Without judgment. No harrasing him about his weight or his injuries, no demands he explain this or that. Just... there, if he's ready. If he trusts me. Bacta and pain relief, a safe place to sleep, someone to guide a peaceful meditation. And of course, Food. Ration bars by the basket. Take and hoard as many as you need. Here, both rich and mild foods to choose from.

Hugs and safety, I could do that. Be that. Put my emotions aside, for the sake of a child. Did his mere presence hurt? Yes. A LOT. But I would sooner die then let him know that. Bright and beautiful as his soul was, young and growing as he is? There is no pain, that is merely the confusion of crude matter. I am FINE. This... is FINE.

(Dispite the drugs, the meditation, it still HURTS.)

Neither Yan or Sifo like it. In fact, Yan is? Both in turns, heart sick and furious. His old Padawan entirely too good at dodging him. Dispite Yan being on the HIGH COUNCIL. Dispite BOTH Yan and Sifo, being on the High Council. It's genuinely impressive. Alarming, yes, that he uses such skill to avoid any attempts at therapy... but, well....

I've SEEN what the Mind Healers here consider a job "well done", with Sifo. Their definition of "help". So... granted, I understand completely. But he could just as easily take his Padawan on a "healing retreat"! Sneak away to get ACTUAL help from one of the other Sects! Illum perhaps? The Whills?

He KNOWS I'm right. It's why he's avoiding me.

(The little SHIT.)

Breathing in filtered, earth rich air, I tried to breathe out my stress. The Thousand Gardens do not just extend upwards. They went down as well. And they will continue to go upwards if ever another Temple is built upon the current one. Just like the last gardens, in which I sit, the light requiring plants that can be moved will be brought upwards. Those that can't? Get solar lamp systems.

Tiny biodomes, here in the dark. We do not kill our ancient trees, after all. Our plant and gardens. They are precious heirlooms. Living, breathing, friends. And besides? In the places they abandon, for the light up above? NEW gardens can be made! Subterranean ones. Glowing lichen and mushrooms, cave shrubs and parasitic low light trees.

It is peaceful, down here. Glowing plant life and distant lamps, like so many stars in the dark. The sound of running water and quite murmurs of the few who prefer such low light meditations. There are more then a few knights napping, having found gardens that speak to them. Their various light sensitive visual organs, finally having found relief.

Somewhere above me, Sifo is pacing. Erratic. Another vision of death and despair, of clones marching upon us all. It is getting to him. Like the slow eroding of a cliff face. Death by a thousand cuts. Over and over and OVER. Despair. Won't you do something? DESPAIR. Don't you CARE? DESPAIR. I can offer the power to FIX things. Don't you want it? Don't you WANT it~??

The Dark Side is a cruel and insidious thing. A riptide. An undertow, which drags you out to sea, then drowns you. It offers sweetness, safety, freedom. Only to deliver oblivion and pain. Power without control, it corrodes you. Destroys all that you were. Giving voice to your worst impulses, silencing your better nature.

You become a mockery of yourself.

I... I am scared for him. For Yan. I can see the outline of their ends, beginning to line up before them. They are pulling away. Growing frustrated. Their discussions with me are growing less philosophical difference with the Order, and more... dangerously immoral. Heretical. Nothing actionable, of course, but... I wouldn't expect their to be.

Both are High Councilors. They, of all people, know how to toe the line.

What do I DO? I ask the Force. Meditation after meditation, seeking guidance. How can I help them? And yet... I get no reply. No insight. Only nudges towards Obi-Wan. Towards teaching and compassion. Slipping him lessons on how to help slaves cope with the trauma. Philosophical debates on the doctrine of attachments. And, of course? Showing him my completely personal project, that HE will in no way someday need, of creating lesson plans for my hypothetical future Padawn.

How VERY thoughtful of him! To help me get some of those data pads! To help me research and revise my plans. He'll make a great mentor one day~ Amused? Me? No, no, dear. I was just thinking of a funny joke. Have ever given thought to Form Three?

Also! Never trust the Senate intelligence, dear. They are full of shit and couldn't spot a slaver if the sale was happening right in front of them. Do your own research whenever possible and NEVER rush in. NEVER.

(Yan refused to rush the assignment. Was in the Process of contacting the Armorer of Little Keldab for information. A Team was sent behind his back. On the word of the Senate alone. They almost completely DIED and the rightful Ruler of the Mandalorian people? Enslaved. Force knows where. Are you HAPPY now? Was rushing WORTH it? Your "regrets" mean NOTHING to the dead.)

It's building. I can feel it. The darkness is growing, my friends drifting farther and farther from the light. All, while? I am stuck. Disabled by my eyes. By the pain my so call "blessing" gives me.

Giving up on another useless meditation, I rise. Head for the lifts. The hallways down here are... quite. The old temple towers a peace place. Filled with the ancient echos of long dead Masters. There are room down here. Apartments. They are unassigned, yes, but no one truely cares if they are used. Granted, I would have to dust them myself.

I consider it. The light, (or really, the lack there off) is much more comfortable down here. The quite, less stressful. If Sifo didn't have such traumatic associations with darkness? I would honestly suggest moving down here with me. It might do us both some good.

As the lift rises, I tap the side of my lenses. Momentarily blinding myself in preparation for the increasing light. Soon enough, vision returns. The cacophonous press of noise. Oh dear, it's mid-meal. I should have waited. No wonder it's so loud and bright. Gritting my teeth, I keep my expression calm and pleasant. My shoulders relaxed.

It is not the younglings fault, that it hurts to be near them. They should NOT have to carry that guilt nor knowledge. I walk calmly but swiftly. This is fine. This Is Fine. Ow, ow, ow, OW, OW! This Is Fine!

Relief. I get passed them. The healers are right. Damn it. It really IS not just my eyes that are growing more sensitive. I... I so badly wanted them to be wrong. But as days go by? As weeks pass? Everything has slowly gotten... gotten so LOUD. Sharp and shrill, grating and rumbling, barks and squeals. Just? Just ALL of it. Too much.

Loud.

At the rate i'm going? I'm going to end up in a Force damned helmet like some sort of Mandalorian! And... and yes, I know there is no shame in that. That each race has their own specific needs. That it is humanist to think certain traits are somehow BETTER then others. I just... just feel like I am slowly losing myself. My freedom.

I am scared.

My body feels like it's betraying me.

Somewhere, near the High Council's chambers, I can feel Yan seething. How long has it been? Since the three of us coexisted in simple peace? Before Sifo's accident? Their appointments to the Council? Or was it as recent as Xanatos and the disaster of his Fall? How... How long have I been a pillar? For the mental and spiritual strength of others?

It's grinding me to dust. I'm so tired. Just... just want to rest. For just a moment. Without the fear, that my moments weakness? Will condemn a good man. Will irreversibly harm, a growing child. I.. Force, I am so tired.

Sifo is waiting for me, in my apartments. My plan for a moments rest? A fleeting, impossible, dream. He is pacing, pacing, pacing. Lines of tension and darting eyes. Hands clenching and unclenching. Running through his already ruined hairdo, again and again. It was easy to see what someone might think him mad. He certainly looked it.

"I saw them again. Bastards! I don't-! What am I doing wrong?!" He gasped the second he laid eyes on me. Already ranting before the door even closed. "I vow not to step foot on Kamino? They still appear. Avoid Mandalorians? Still! They exsist! But, oh! What if I plan Temple defenses? Surely THEN, right?! No! They somehow get passed them! Is it me? Am I the problem!?"

"TELL ME!"

He spun, eyes wide and manic, arms spread. As though inviting a blow. Inviting his own destruction. Hair falling from his careful hairdo in mad whisps, clothes disheveled, hands faintly trembling... he did not look well. Looked near tears. Teetering on the edge of something ugly.

How long could he hold out? I wondered.

I didn't have a comforting answer for him. No sweet and gentle words. But I could offer a hug. A hand to hold, as he faced down the dark. Sometimes... sometimes there WAS no right answer, Sifo. Sometimes the pieces were all on the board yet. Or the very act of try to stop Fate, made it so. I don't know. Can't know. Neither of us can.

But I can be there WITH you, until the end. And we can do our best.

Have you eaten yet? Had any tea? When was the last time you slept? Terrible things do not become easier to bear, if you burn yourself up, trying to face them. You have to take care of yourself too. I stepped forward, into that desperate stance, and pulled him into my arms.

"You believe me. You BELIEVE me. It's just inevitabe, too you, isnt it? That's what your trying not to say, isn't it? That you've run out of options. " Sifo's arms wrapped around me in a desperate grip. Like a drowning man holding onto the only life raft at sea.

"You're just afraid. Don't want me to break myself, destroy myself, chasing something that can't happen. Because we're Jedi, and you know we have to try. Try and try and TRY! Until it destroys us. Destroys everything. Hoping against all hope that they'll just... just LISTEN! But they WON'T, will they? They won't listen. It's inevitable. A cleansing. Purging of the old, to give rise to something new. The will of the Force itself."

Cleansing? Purging?! Alarm bells started to ring in my head. Nothing good came of talks of "cleansings" or "purgings" of ANYTHING.. NOTHING. I opened my mouth to refute him. Never got the chance. Yan's Force presence slammed into ours. The equivalent of crashing open doors and stomping feet.

Startled and alarmed, I turned just in time to see him sweep into my apartment like a raging, high society, storm cloud. The expression on his face could peel paint.

"Apparently," he snarled, barely holding together. "my Grand-Padawan has SUPPOSEDLY left the Order! Despite showing no prior interest in doing so, sending no missives to friends or fellow Creche-mates, and? Of course? Let us not forget? SUPPOSEDLY doing so? For some TART in the midst of an ACTIVE WARZONE!"

Horrified, I felt the blood drain from my face. No. NO! I thought I had more TIME! Please! Dear FORCE! Tell me, Qui-gon did not LEAVE his Padawan on-!

"Oh yes! CLEARLY, this is but a childish desire to wet his-!" Yan visibly struggled to beat back the surge of incoherent WRATH and fear. The disappointment. They HORROR at a child, in such unimaginable danger. "The Council won't even HEAR that there could be anything amiss! Won't even CHECK. A supposed WASTE of RESOURCES, when already we are stretched too thin! A CHILD, potentially ABANDONED in a WARZONE! And they-!? THEY-!?"

My mind races as I pull away from Sifo's grip to face Yan. The Order won't authorize use of their ships to go check. But... But? Are we not Jedi? We serve the Force. Our mission is to PROTECT. Minimize suffering, bring Light to the universe. Take a sabbatical! NOW! In fact? We ALL will. It will be GOOD for me, to be away from Coruscant's crowded population.

Call your Family, Yan. We need a Serranian Ship. Ask if we can borrow the Senator's, since it's on planet. We aren't slaves. They can't stop us, if we simple decide to GO. Punish us? Perhaps. But not STOP us.

An almost roguish grin settles poorly, under the near manic glint in Yan's eyes. Too expressive. Too unhinged. He has never been anything but composed, he values it too highly. Sifo's answering grin is just as manic. Just as... slightly wrong. Too much. Fitting both too practiced and ill fitting on their faces.

Like they are feeding off each others madness... some part of me hisses in concern. A feedback loop, we aren't strong enough to stop.

I try to ignore it. Focus on the now. There is a child in danger. It's... it's fine. Probably. All I have to do, is keep them away from the Sith! They... they won't Fall. They WON'T.

R-Right?

Yet... watching them plan our trip? Calling in favors and gleefully plotting. Casually threatening. Feeding of each others energy, as they do. I... I am not so certain. Once again, that moment of dissonance strikes true. Like looking around and realizing I am an actor on the stage of a Tragedy, ready line after line, as we march onward to the inevitable End.

Attachments are going to condemn you. Seems to whisper the Force. Like chains that choke and squeeze.

I know, I whisper back. But I am foolish and still want to save them.

Please let me try.

Please.

Let me TRY.

[violetganache42]

Highlights from tonight's movie night celebrating some of the different teams Donald has been a part of in categorized and chronological order (I honestly like this format. I might stick with it):

"Boat Builders":

Good news: The short has subtitles! Bad news: They're not in English, so you still can't understand what the fuck Donald is saying.

Donald: "Yeah, even a child can do it!" Godfrey: "Even Della could do it!"

justaboot: "god's third choice after the 3 stooges"

Max's mother has been found

"The First Adventure!":

Bradford Hate Club

Ludwig appearance!

puffywuffy8904: "he's serving whatever the opposite of cunt is" WriteBackAtYa: "So di—"

(I love this screenshot. 😂)

The reference to Della's letter

WriteBackAtYa and I being on the same wavelength

Eat the rich uncle (Sorry, Scrooge, but I had to. XD)

"You can't mute me, old man!"

RIP Donald's guitar

The Temple of Doom parallel!

PAPYRUS

"Treasure of the Golden Suns" easter egg!

"fragile old body"

POGO CANE

Black Heron doing the smug anime girl laugh (You know what I'm talking about.)

"I'm the chosen one!" Pure Deweycore

"So long, suckers!"

Just Black Heron in general (She's a fun villain. lol)

DONALD KILL

Us ranting about Bradford using the Papyrus of Binding to escape like the COWARD THAT HE IS! WHY WE OUGHTA— COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE—

If I had a nickel for every time Black Heron lost her robot arm, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Me: "BEAKLEY YOU FOOL" Godfrey: "YOU FUCKING FOOOOOOOOL"

"The House of the Lucky Gander!":

Louie "I do hate hot dogs" Duck noticing the neon lights shaped like a hot dog

"We're all gonna die! I'VE WASTED MY LIFE!"

Launchpad deserves his own episode dedicating to his love life

Gladstone Hate Club

Scrooge looking at the camera like he's on The Office

puffywuffy8904: "gladstone you have a haircut shut up"

Huey autism moment

Just how bored and tired Dewey, Webby, and Scrooge were after seeing Aquarioon

Dewey and the jade tigers

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

27!

Webby's love for chocolate fountains

"And a distraction."

Scrooge: "I don't even get to be part of the blasted challenge?" Huey:

Real-Life-Pine-Tree: "Roasted duck anyone?" Me: "'Danny: I'll have the duck.'"

Louie's motivational speech

"Where did that come from?"

Us @ Liu Hai: RIP bozo (at least until DuckTales World Showcase Adventure)

The underwhelming Golden Cricket and how fucking bored and exhausted the family was

"Mt. Fuji Whiz":

LotTC basically being DuckTales on crack

Me: "Hell is a city. Where have I seen that before? 🤔" Godfrey: "Hazbin Hote—[gunshot]"

My idea of Clinton and Webby bonding over Clan McDuck history

Missy thirsting for Panchito

The return of the Ari the Autism Bird!

Xandra and the nieces in general (They're some of the best characters in the show. ^^)

*The Three Caballeros are stuck in the Underworld* AMJ: "We have a very simple solution." DT17!Huey: "This doesn't feel simple."

Jack Skellington moon

Donald saying the Karen phrase

Xandra and Charon clothes swap

Panchito being "that" guy

The Sheldgoose family tree taking notes from Goofy's family tree regarding the relatives' designs

IN THE PLUMS!

Clinton hugging Donald 💖

Tokyo? LIKE IN DUCKTALES!

"Potatoland":

Dreamy: "SEE HE HAS 27 FINGERS" Me: "27!"

POTATOLAND! POTATOLAND!

"Mickey, I am fed up with your bullshit devil magic."

Praising Mickey's characterization in the Paul Rudish shorts

Donald's blush

No more Idaho

Just the whole short in general. It's the best. XD

"Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers":

Black Arts Beagle's Musketeer cousins

puffywuffy8904: "they wanna be Scrooge soooo bad"

Donald being, and I quote Jamie, "a punk bitch" in this movie

The return of Pete Hate Club

"Whoa, he's bisexual, I didn't know that!"/"By the way, I'm bisexual! I forgot, I- forgot to announce it! How do you turn this shit off- wait-"

The entire opera gag

Clarabelle appearance!

Dreamy pointing out the parallels how Pete is to Minnie what Bradford is to Scrooge

In the Hall of the Mountain King

"Why did the music stop?"

"Together, we'll save the princess or die trying!"/"…Die? …Die?"

melcat33: "Minnie discovers she's into bdsm"

WriteBackAtYa and I quoting Philip CD-i Legend of Zelda

The turtle trying to be the rooster from Robin Hood at one point

"That little diddy's starting to grow on me."

Pete referencing The Lion King

Donald FINALLY unleashing his iconic temper

melcat33: "Goofy finally being Dad Material" WriteBackAtYa: "But he was daddy material"

(Look what you made me do! /lh)

Pirates of Penzance

"Not long… maybe… 40 years?"

The movie ending with the fucking Can-Can

Learning about how Tokyo Disneyland had Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as the Three Musketeers and they all looked AMAZING (Why does Japan get all the cool shit?!)

[drakiandh]

Shifting Jewels - Chapter Two, Strawberry Trip

Another one. Imma update every Saturday in hopes that I can make these chapters without stress. I am in love so far, and am currently making their designs. Anyways, happy reading! Words - 4,265

Star’s gaze lingered on the fallen gem, its vibrant red hues now dulled by the golden corruption that had taken hold. His weapons returned to their places within his gem with the flick on his true hand. The air around him hung heavy with a mix of emotions, a complex tapestry woven from joy, grief, and fear.

Joy surfaced at the sight of Painite, an old companion he thought lost to the ravages of time. Grief welled within him, knowing that despite the years that had passed, Painite still harbored resentment and hatred. Fear, however, clutched at his core, an icy grip that tightened with the looming threat of the corruption that had claimed his friend.

Approaching cautiously, Star moved towards the gem as if the very act of proximity might trigger the other’s reform. He hesitated before gently nudging it with his foot, as though testing the waters. When no reaction followed, he reached down and cradled the corrupted gem in his hands, a sense of regret lingering in his touch.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice barely audible, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile moment. His finger traced the intricate cracks on the gem’s surface. “I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”

Before Painite could attempt to reform, Star enveloped the gem in a sphere of deep navy blue, cradling it gently. He hesitated to send the other gem to the temple back in Beach City, opting instead to shrink down the bubble small enough to fit it into his pockets. Clutching the bubbled gem in his hands, he stood and walked over to the nearby pillar. Retrieving his jacket, Star concealed the gem under the fabric, beginning the journey back to the nearby human town. As he walked, he couldn’t bear the silence, so he decided to speak aloud.

“Things have gotten better, at least in my combat skills,” Star murmured into the open air, absentmindedly rubbing the bubble with his thumb. “When I last visited Rose, I could handle nearly three whole minutes in a fight with her. I wonder how she is; it’s been, what, a hundred years since I’ve visited?”

He was certain that if Painite could hear him, he’d be complaining about Star talking his ears off. Star weakly chuckled at the thought, the memory quickly tainted by their current relationship. “It wasn’t my fault,” he began, hopping down the stone path while keeping the gem within the bubble steady. “Well, it was, but could you blame me? I couldn’t bear the feeling of being just some slave to them. Blue was cold and rude to me, assigning me a purpose without even checking if I was functioning properly. Sure, I’m glad she didn’t, because if I wasn’t, she would’ve shattered me, but the thought would’ve been nice. Yellow was just an ass to me, telling me to ensure Pink would win the war. I’m not even going to mention White; she was terrifying. Pink was a lot better before, well, you know. She was the only one who treated me like someone alive, but even then, she was distant and only really interacted for war-related matters.” Star rambled.

“When Rose offered my freedom, she treated me like I was something alive, not just some tool to see into the future. How could you have stayed? Did you like being their slave? Being nothing more than what you were made to do?”

Star could already imagine the words Painite would say if he wasn’t poofed and bubbled in his hands. “My purpose is what I am made to do. Why should I fight it?”

“But what about after it?” Star responded to the whispers of the question. “After the war, would you be shattered? Poofed? If you were lucky, you’d be taken by Yellow and sent to fight there. But is there really nothing for you other than just claiming worlds filled with life to make more repressed gems? Earth is a free world, Painite. It’s not too late to renounce your allegiance to the Diamonds. I doubt they would even take you back if you somehow get to Homeworld again. They’ve probably already made thousands of Painites on some claimed world of theirs, and maybe they’ve already created thousands of Star Sapphires too. So what’s the point when they’ve already got copies of us?”

They arrived in town before Star could continue, prompting the blue gem to sigh and tuck the blue bubble safely into his pocket. After ensuring the bubble wouldn’t pop when he moved, he shook his still-blue hands back into their false brown color and began his trek toward the nearest warp pad, conveniently located on the other side of the human town.

“Hey, Star!” The Sapphire turned his head toward the human who walked up to him, smiling nervously. He recognized this person as the one who had encountered him in the forest.

“Hey, Carl,” Star greeted, faking a warm smile. He chuckled, clearly nervous.

“I heard a big bang earlier; did you find that big beast and take care of it?” The human asked. Star’s hand drifted down to the bubble hidden in his pocket.

“Yep!” he responded, popping the ‘p’. “You won’t have to worry about it now.”

“Thank god,” the human sighed before offering a genuine smile. “Want to stay over for a while? I know a good hotel-”

“No, thank you, though.” Star cut the human off, still smiling. “I’ve got to get back home.”

“You sure?” The human asked.

“Sure,” Star nodded. The human watched him for a moment before shrugging.

“Your loss.”

Star walked off before the human could say more, his smile falling when the human was out of sight. The Sapphire pulled his hood up to cover his expression, walking as casually and as fast as he could. He’d been to this town many times before, unintentionally earning himself a friendly traveler reputation. And true to his nature, he strived for everything to be pleasant around him.

He smiled and waved at each human that greeted him, engaging in brief conversations with those who asked him questions, and graciously accepting any small gifts offered. By the time he arrived at the edge of the village, the sun was dipping down the horizon, and Star felt the weight of exhaustion settling in.

“Alright,” he muttered, more to the gem in his pocket than to himself. “The warp pad should just be down this road.” The shadows of the night devoured the last remnants of sunlight, and hidden pockets of light illuminated his path. His own gem began to glow with its blue hue, casting a gentle radiance that helped him navigate through the darkness. Intrigued, he took out Painite’s gem, holding it in his hand to see if it, too, would glow. Surprisingly, it did, but the light was subdued and took on a purple hue due to the blue bubble encasing it. Star wondered how Painite’s true red color would look in the dark, but he dismissed the thought, assuming it would be dull and muted, much like Painite’s current appearance. Star pondered what might have happened to his once-vibrant friend for his colors to fade into a pale pink. Was it the corruption? It seemed unlikely, as most of the Corrupted gems he encountered retained the vibrant colors of their original forms. So, what had happened to change Painite’s appearance?

The warp pad glowed subtly in the surroundings, concealed yet unmistakable. Star felt a tired smile spread across his face as he stepped onto it, clutching Painite’s gem close to his chest to ensure it wouldn’t slip from his grasp in the beam. The white light enveloped him, a low hum filling the air as he traversed to his home. The journey took only a few moments, and as the light dissipated upon arrival, he stepped off the pad and took a deep, unnecessary breath. His home, Mask Island, was saturated with the sweet scents of nature and pure water. Though he didn’t require air, he appreciated the olfactory experiences it offered. His smile grew a bit as he strolled down the familiar path he had tread countless times.

His eyes lifted to the split mountain in the center of the island, a frown creasing his features as he recalled the event that had caused it to crack open. He was grateful that Rose, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst had managed to thwart the Cluster, just as he had foreseen many years ago. When he first glimpsed that timeline, concern had gripped him about Rose’s fate, fearing that it might be altered, as if she wasn’t truly there. Yet, as the world beneath his feet still flourished under the first rays of the sun, he found ease, finding he had nothing to worry about.

His home, aside from being part of Mask Island itself, consisted of a simple cave within the mountain that had remained unscathed. While it lacked the embellishments he had envisioned, its dull grey walls still emitted the comforting yellow bioluminescence. It wasn’t filled to the brim with decorations, but it was home—his home. However, he knew there was one more task to accomplish before he could retire for the night. Stepping to the center of the cave, he summoned his shadows, drawing them from his gem’s light to form a large, protective dome. Placing Painite’s gem at the dome’s center, he stepped outside, ensuring Painite wouldn’t escape. Using one of his shadow hands, he punctured the blue bubble, and Painite’s gem fell to the ground.

Star stared at the freed gem, nerves coiling in his chest as he waited. He recalled that Painite had only poofed once before during the many years they’d known each other, and it had taken a considerable amount of time for him to reform. Star wondered how long it would take now that he was corrupted.

As it turned out, not very long. Painite’s gem began to glow in its vibrant red hue, illuminating the cave as his form emerged. Star winced as it shivered and glitched from the crack, but Painite reformed with a gasp. The red gem fell to his knees, frantically surveying his surroundings, eyes wide with shock. Upon spotting Star, an animalistic hiss escaped from his mouth, and he instinctively retreated as far as he could. Star winced, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender to try and calm the other gem down.

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Star said softly, slowly, keeping a careful eye on Painite. The red gem continued to stare back, his mind not fully present, as he emitted a low growl. Star took a few steps back, recognizing it as a warning growl from past experiences. He patiently waited as Painite gradually regained his composure. After a few minutes, Painite blinked and slowly looked around.

“…Where am I?” Painite asked, his gaze returning to Star. The Sapphire didn’t respond immediately, lowering his hands and allowing Painite to stand, leaning on the dark navy of his containment.

“You’re on Mask Island,” Star explained gently, enunciating carefully to ensure his words reached the red gem. “You’re in my home.” To his surprise, Painite emitted a sharp laugh.

“I’m in your home? This hardly looks like a temple,” Painite remarked, his voice trembling slightly from exhaustion. Star frowned, torn between leaving Painite to rest and pressing for the information he sought.

“How did you survive the Diamonds’ blast?” he inquired, stepping forward until he was a foot away from the dome. Painite glared at him, his teeth clenched and bared in an obvious threat, but he appeared too weary to do more. In fact, it seemed Painite knew he was too fatigued to fight, so he opted to provide an answer instead.

“I hid in Earth’s crust,” Painite replied simply.

“But how?” Star pressed, unsatisfied with the brevity of the explanation. His insistence drew a hiss from Painite.

“The Cluster didn’t get corrupted,” Painite explained slowly. “It was too deep for that. I thought if I got deep enough, I would be safe.” He paused, shifting his weight slightly. “I was not fast enough.”

That was all Star needed to hear. “Okay,” he breathed, nodding to himself. His eyes snapped to Painite’s leg as it glitched, forcing the red gem down with a shout. Star responded by shouting the other’s name and bringing a hand to his gem, summoning the old healing liquid from the depths of his memories. Luckily, the glitching on Painite’s form faded quickly, leaving the red gem on the ground. “Pain,” Star called, waiting until the other’s single eye stared at him. He lifted the liquid floating in his hand, holding it out in an offering. “I can heal your gem if-”

“No!” Painite hissed, wincing as he got to his feet again. Star recoiled as if he’d been hit, surprise evident on his features.

“No?” Star repeated, confused. “What do you mean no?”

“I will heal my own gem,” Painite responded, leaning heavily on the wall of the dome. “I do not need your help to do so.”

“Dude,” Star said incredulously. “Your gem is cracked, a good hit and it would shatter.”

“Then so be it,” Painite responded, finally gaining enough strength to only leave a hand on the wall in case he fell again. “But I will heal on my own.” Star stared at him, mouth slightly open in confusion.

“Wait? You don’t mind being shattered?” He asked, watching as Painite slowly began to walk closer, using the wall to guide him.

“No,” Painite responded simply. Star waited for something else, an explanation, a reason, anything, but all he got was silence. So instead he prodded. “Why?”

“Why?” Painite repeated, stepping closer. “Why not?”

“Why not? Because if you get shattered, you’d die,” Star said. “You want to die?”

“I don’t mind dying,” Painite responded, his arm slowly lifting in a gesture Star recognized well.

“Well, you should,” Star responded, keeping his eyes on Painite’s face. “You shouldn’t mind dying. There’s so much to live for on this planet.” That got a laugh from the other, short and fake.

“There is nothing on this planet worth living for, other than it being a good gem-producer planet,” Painite responded. “Besides, it has a new purpose. Soon the cluster should emerge; I felt those quakes.”

“The cluster has already been calmed,” Star said, causing Painite to pause. “I saw it 5321 years and two weeks ago. The cluster has been subdued, and I don’t see it returning anytime soon.” Star didn’t flinch as Painite’s arm thrust forward in a pathetic attempt to hurt the other. He did flinch when Painite’s arm pushed against the dome before recoiling with much more force than necessary, forcing the gem back and knocking him off balance.

Painite landed on his back, and a horrified gasp escaped Star as he heard the tell-tell sounds of a gem cracking. Painite’s form erupted into glitches, lasting much longer than the one before. When it settled down enough for Painite to reform fully, the red gem rolled onto his side and laid there. Star saw a few small yellow shards fall to the floor, bringing a kind of dread Star hadn’t felt since the Diamonds decided to corrupt the rebellion.

“Painite! Your gem!” He said, dissipating the dome and rushing forward. He knelt by the other, earning himself a weak hiss. He held out his hand with the healing water, his hand shaking slightly. “Please, please, please just let me heal you.” He begged, hating how the Diamonds had made him. To never give, to never act without being asked first. He hated how he was made to just be a future seeing and better pearl.

“…Only the Diamonds… can heal a gem…” Painite said weakly, glaring at Star.

“Come on dude, all you have to say is yes! You know how I was made, you know!” Star begged, tears beginning to pool in his eyes as fear caused him to shake. Painite simply stared, his expression softening from the hardness Star was so unused to. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving Painite to turn away.

“No.” He hissed.

“What is your problem?!” Star yelled, dropping the water and allowing it to fall to the ground as he stood up. He was tired of his friend’s attitude, hating the stubborn nature he had once loved. “Why won’t you let me heal you?!” Painite didn’t respond, only laying still as he looked away. Star groaned, burying his hands into his hair as he fought the urge to go destroy something.

“Fine!” He finally yelled. “Be that way! I’ll be back in the morning, and when I do, I better get an explanation as to why you’re being such a stubborn and stupid ass!” He reerected the dome with a grunt and turned on his heel, storming out in the open night. He left for the warp pad, knowing exactly where to go to vent his frustrations.

╭──────────.★..─╮

┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊

┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .

┊ ┊ ⋆˚         

✧. ┊         

⋆ ★

When Star returned to Mask Island the next morning, he wasn’t surprised to find his cave empty. Instead, he stood there, gazing at the tiny yellow shards scattered on the ground. A heavy sigh escaped from Star’s lips as he stepped off the wall he had leaned on, embarking on the paths he had etched into the earth. He wandered aimlessly, not actively seeking Painite, already resigned to the likelihood of not encountering the other gem for another millennium or so. The idea of visiting Rose crossed his mind—it had indeed been a substantial span of time.

With that contemplation, he altered his course toward the island’s warp pad. As he strolled, he observed the quaint watermelon creatures that now populated the island. Star had even picked up a smattering of their language, learning from them that his vision of the Malachite fusion had indeed come to fruition. The thought was disheartening, but he found solace in knowing that the remaining Crystal Gems had managed to handle the situation in his absence.

A sudden voice interrupted his musings, prompting him to shake off the inquisitive watermelon beings who had tagged along. Swiftly and quietly, he dashed towards the voice, halting in astonishment when he beheld Painite, forcefully pressing his corrupted foot onto the warp pad. Painite’s countenance twisted into a snarl, and it seemed as though he was barely restraining himself from summoning his weapon and assaulting the pad. “Why won’t you work?!” Painite bellowed in frustration.

Star hesitated, well aware of Painite’s propensity for coldness and hostility. Despite the lingering anger that urged him to confront Painite, his concern for his former companion took precedence. “Painite?” he called out tentatively, taking a cautious step forward. Painite’s head snapped towards him with a sickening crack, and for a fleeting moment, Painite softened slightly with surprise. Yet, that softness vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a snarl as the red gem bared his teeth.

“What do you want?” Painite hissed, his attention fixated on activating the warp. Star assumed Painite regarded him as either too insignificant a threat or had already accepted his fate.

“I was just going to visit someplace,” Star said, maintaining a distance. Painite continued to glare, and Star respected his space. “Is something wrong?”

“You,” Painite hissed bitterly. “You’re the problem. If it wasn’t for you cracking my gem further, I would be able to leave this diamond-forsaken planet.” Star sighed, nodding apologetically.

“I am sorry for that,” Star said earnestly. “I can heal you if you want.” He flinched as Painite’s glare intensified.

Painite scoffed, and his expression hardened. “You think I’d trust you after what you did? I don’t need your help. I will find that damn fountain of yours and heal myself.”

Star paused. “Wait, fountain?”

Painite sighed. “Yes, the rumor of some healing fountain the rebellion used to heal gems. If it exists, I intend to find it.”

“Oh, it does,” Star said, earning a slightly less angry, confused look from Painite. “I helped make it.” Painite stared at him for a long moment, causing Star to fidget slightly under the gaze. Suddenly, Painite seized Star’s coat, pulling them close enough that their noses nearly touched. Due to Painite being on the warp pad, Star found himself shorter than the other, causing his face to redden from the unexpected proximity.

“Take me to the fountain,” Painite commanded, utilizing the authoritative tone Star had missed. The closeness and the rough voice almost next to his ear made Star melt momentarily, surrendering himself to the unexpected intensity. A good shake, however, brought him back to his senses, and he straightened up.

“R-Right! Sure!” Star stammered out, offering a crooked grin. Painite scoffed and released the Sapphire. Star yelped as he fell, his legs too jelly-like to hold him up. He groaned as he hit the ground, laying there for a moment before sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.

“You’ve been around too many humans,” Painite stated. “You’re acting like one.” Star laughed sheepishly before standing and hopping onto the warp pad, determined to push aside the warmth of the other’s breath on his face. Now was not the time to dwell on past connections.

“To the garden!” Star declared, waiting for the white light of the warp pad to envelop them. Nervousness crept over Star as the warp pad failed to illuminate, and Painite shot him a pointed look.

“Well?” Star flinched, rubbing the back of his neck.

“The warp pad to the garden must’ve been damaged,” he admitted, laughing nervously in an attempt to defuse the growing tension beside him.

“What?” Painite demanded. Panicking, Star scrambled to find a solution.

“I can take you to the next closest warp pad!” he suggested hurriedly. “A-And I can take you there directly!”

Painite seemed to ponder the option, studying Star intensely. Just as Star was about to propose another alternative, Painite spoke, his tone gruff, “Fine.”

“Wait, really?” Star asked, taken aback.

“Do not act like an idiot, Sapphire,” Painite hissed. “Just take me to the fountain, and I will let you live until I can repair the homeworld warp.” Star furrowed his brow but nodded nonetheless. With a simple thought, the warp pad activated, transporting them to the next nearest warp. The short journey was enveloped in silence, with only the subtle hum of the light surrounding them. Star considered offering an apology, as he had done millennia ago, but he hesitated, turning his gaze away.

The light subsided, revealing a sprawling field of strawberries and butterflies drifting gently on the breeze. Painite inhaled sharply, prompting Star to steal a glance at his reaction. The corrupted gem appeared lost, gazing over the field with an expression Star couldn’t quite decipher. After a moment, Painite blinked and stepped off the pad, unintentionally crushing a strawberry in the process. He then turned toward Star with a pointed look, his expression now devoid of the earlier confusion. Star nodded and hopped off, following an invisible path. Yet, curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t resist the allure of conversation.

“Sooo….” Star began, glancing at Painite from the corner of his eye. “Did you ever fight here?” Painite remained silent, and Star assumed he wouldn’t respond.

“Yes,” Painite finally replied, prompting a surprised “huh?” from Star.

“Wait, really? That’s cool! What was it like?” Star inquired, turning around and walking backward to face his travel companion. Painite frowned and swatted away a curious butterfly.

“Were you not there? You should have seen it for our Diamond,” Painite retorted, earning a wince from Star.

“Well, I had foreseen it. I told Pink that the battle would be horrible, but that there were going to be multiple. There were so many that I don’t exactly remember the details,” Star responded.

“Speak her name with respect,” Painite hissed before continuing. “This place is where the rebellion turned the tide of the war. And I was there from the beginning.”

“Really?” Star asked. “What was the biggest one? I remember you were a commander then.” Painite frowned, but Star knew just how to encourage him to share war stories.

Star could see the internal struggle on Painite’s face, but eventually, he sighed and began recounting the tales, much to Star’s delight. “The most significant battle I led was the one that changed the tide. It was destructive, and in the first half, we were winning.” A slight smile appeared on Painite’s face, lost in reminiscence. “We nearly shattered half of the rebellion forces with barely a scratch on our own. I could easily see their attempts and their paths, making it easy to thwart their plans.”

However, his smile quickly faded into a solemn expression, and Star noticed Painite absentmindedly rubbing his gem. “I became too confident, too cocky, and I paid the price. A single gem’s strike took out the leader of our forces, and the battle shifted in their favor. With my crack, I couldn’t fight on the front lines or guide my forces, and that’s the only reason you won.”

As the atmosphere turned somber, Star chimed in with a meek “Oh.” After a brief pause, he ventured, “I remember that day. I’m sorry.”

“Your apologies will not change the past, Star,” Painite responded, saying the name with a surprising absence of hatred, momentarily catching Star off guard. However, the resurgence of resentment was swift, and Painite’s gaze transformed into a piercing glare. “Now, how long will this ‘trip’ take?”

“Oh, just a little over a month.”

“What?!”

[eepuniverse]

Hexel's World Tour Week 6 – Seoul

Everyone, I'm home. I know it sounds so cliche, but the moment I got off the plane in Seoul, I felt like I was coming home🇰🇷❤��. I already knew I could speak Korean, so getting through the airport and to the main city was a breeze (but can we talk about Incheon airport? It is so cool. I could literally spend a whole day at just the airport). I quickly got to my hotel in the middle of Seoul and it is way too nice. I feel like an imposter staying here hahaha.

There are some parts of the city that feel so familiar to me, even though I can't fully remember them. One day, I ended up just walking instinctively to this hole-in-the-wall kalgooksu restaurant and had the best noodle soup ever! 🍜(or I think it's the best I've ever had. It also felt so familiar!) Another place that felt super familiar was Dongdaemun and the Design Plaza. It kind of looks like a spaceship, but I knew exactly where to exit the subway station to get there. It was like instinct. The markets in Dongdaemun are so nice! They have so much fashion and accessories 👗 it was all so overwhelming. But I was able to buy gifts for Georgia while I was there

Talking about cool shops, I just wandered around Insadong for like half a day. There are so many side streets with cafes and small shops that you wouldn't even know were there unless you went to explore. From Insadong, I ended up walking to Bukchon traditional village. Both Insadong and Bukchon are known for their traditional hanok houses. And you all, I could LIVE in one of these. They're so beautiful and smell amazing like wood and paper! I found a place in one of these hanok houses called Aromind which lets you design your own perfume scent! It was so cool and I made one for Krista (hope she likes it!) 🎁

I also wrote down all the food places I loved to go with Dustin if we ever come to Seoul together, including this place that does bbq ribs DIPPED 🍖🧀 in melted cheese and a jjajangmyeon place that handrolls their noodles! I wanted to get Dustin a whole package of Hanwoo--prime Korean BBQ beef (did you know you could buy those?!)--but I was worried about getting it through customs, also, it was a lot to ship back to the US. So I got Dustin some green tea from Ossulloc 🍵, I know it's not technically food, but it's food adjacent! And their tea house in Gwanhun-Dong was so gorgeous with all the traditional ceramics and the little displays about how the teas are roasted! Plus, they're right by Jogyesa Buddhist Temple. They told me Jogyesa is the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The building dates back to the late 14th century! And you can write your wish on a piece of paper and hang it like a little flag. All the wishes fluttering in the air were so beautiful!

I didn't mean to organize my tour around Seoul based on buying the perfect gifts for my friends, but it turned out that way. So I knew I had to find something amazing for Mac, and I did in Gangnam! That neighborhood kind of reminds me of midtown New York with all the skyscrapers and the fancy hotels and buildings. They have the flagship store to this amazing sunglasses store called Gentle Monster. But they don't just sell sunglasses, they also have amazing art displays that the store clerk told me rotates regularly! In fact, lots of the cool high fashion stores do fun artsy displays in Seoul! From there, I just popped over to Lotte World Tower and bought ALL the duty free skincare! I can't wait to try all my facemasks with the band! Apparently Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea. And they even have an aquarium in there!

[roseofcards90]

STEVEN UNIVERSE WATCH:

Hi hiii, everyone! I am planning on making a series of posts for my first time watching Steven Universe! I’ve been watching with @mgjong and it’s been so much fun omg! I can’t thank her enough for watching with me ❤️

For these, I’m going to talk about my breakdown analysis for each season (I’ll be doing Season 1A and Season 1B as separate), and I will also give commentary on every episode (yes I am insane) and highlight certain ones that are my faves! I will give my overall thoughts about the season as a whole, as well as the main characters and what I’ve learned of them so far.

Episodes marked with a ⭐️ are some of my personal faves from this season! Here is my overall breakdown of Season 1A down below:

*I also wanted to preface this saying that my knowledge of the show is very limited. Most of the things I’ve heard about it have come from when it was still airing, and my childhood friend who was obsessed with it at the time would also ramble about the show to me. I already know some major plot points (such as Garnet being a fusion and the Ruby and Sapphire stuff) and other minor details, but yeah most of this overall is still pretty blind to me!

So first off! I wanted to talk about some general points about the show:

- I absolutely love the art backgrounds in each episode. Some of them are just so pretty to look at. I know the animation can be iffy at times, but overall it is very consistent across episodes.

- Character designs are also pretty unique, and each one stands out to me among the cast! The fact that you can easily pick out even the minor characters is a huge win for character design imo

- The title cards also reflecting the time of day/weather for the episode is a neat detail! I did not realize that, Mg had to point it out to me kdfjdfnk and the fact that they imply little things from just that one shot (like it being the temple hand above the house where they do their laundry) is a great attention to detail!

- I think the setting is also really nice! Having it take place in a coastal town near the beach feels refreshing to me.

- Soundtrack amazing that is all 🫡

General Character Thoughts:

Steven:

At first, I really didn’t think much of Steven’s character I would have to admit 😭 I thought he was a sweet kid ofc, but I wasn’t sure where the show was gonna take his character and his development. That is, until I started to see more of the bigger picture and realize what direction they were going to take him. And now I have high hopes on how Steven is going to develop throughout the series just from all the expectations placed on him from his loved ones and the other gems. Your mother was amazing, she was everything. She gave up her form so you can be born. How do you deal with that? How do you cope with being the only one to not know her at all, your own mother? Can you fill the void she left behind? Will you falter when you can’t?

Also, having a mother-son version of this trope is one I haven’t seen much? Barely at all tbh, so it’s refreshing! I think it’s very sweet to portray a male character as very emotional and compassionate, and have him take after his mother.

Amethyst:

Amethyst is great I love her LMAO she’s so silly!!! On the surface, she seems to be the outward comic relief in the cast. But when you look more closely at her character and her reactions towards certain things, then it becomes clear that there is something deeper, the feeling of self-hate and resentment towards herself compared to Pearl and Garnet. I like how this is first hinted at in Tiger Millionaire, an episode about Amethyst’s hobby with wrestling. I think it shows that even in her own space, that self-hate will still find a way to manifest (it didn’t help that Pearl and Garnet showed up but yeah 😭)

Pearl:

Oh, Pearl. Where do I even start? There’s…a lot. I’m going to be honest, my perception of Pearl from what I remember is just “very gay lady” back when the show was airing LMAO which isn’t wrong necessarily. She is that, but she’s also a lot more than that. Pearl is tragic. She is a character who continues to grieve because of her closeness and her love towards Rose. She can be a bit overbearing and critical at times with Steven, but it’s because she cares about him and wants him to grow. Ofc she loves him, that’s her son. But Pearl isn’t perfect. She’ll have outbursts, she’ll panic, she’ll slip back into the loss that continues to consume her and project it onto others. And it’s not healthy at all 😭 I am curious to see how her character will be in the later seasons, but for now she’s one of my faves! Absolutely love tragic gays who cannot move on 🫡

Also I just love how at first glance, she seems like the character to have the brain cell in the group, but then you realize episode after episode that nah, she’s just as insane as everyone else LMAO it’s so good (I believe in OCD Pearl too btw SO REAL)

Garnet:

AAAA I LOVE GARNET!!! I love how calm she is but also deadpan LMAO??? She’s so silly sometimes, it’s cute! I like how she’s the one to ground the whole team together, not wanting to underestimate Steven, but ofc, still being protective of him. There’s more we learn about her in Season 1B (which I’ve already seen by this point), so that’s why I don’t have a lot to comment on here. But she’s still pretty cool, especially with all the various hints towards her actually being a fusion!

Greg:

Greg is an interesting guy! I didn’t have many thoughts on him at first, but some episodes later in the season had made me rethink my initial thoughts on him. He’s clearly trying his best as a father, wanting to still connect and bond with Steven. And he’s also another character we see deal with the grief of losing Rose. I love how he has many parallels with Pearl because of this, with the way they deal with loss and also their personal relationship with Steven. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him and also more interactions between him and Pearl I think they would be funny DJDKFKF

Connie:

I LOVE CONNIE I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!! IDK MUCH ABOUT HER BUT SHES SO CUTE AND I LOVE HER AND STEVEN'S RELATIONSHIP! I do like how she’s written to be a bit of a weeb LMAO it’s very accurate for 12 yr old kids obsessed with anime. I can’t wait to see more of her in the main cast!!!

Rose Quartz:

Besides her sharing my name (which I already love lmao), I have heard many things about her character that have piqued my interest! From what I've seen, she's a character who haunts the narrative, always being mentioned in the other's words as a lasting memory, or just her own portrait in the house being displayed in the background during some scenes. I love how the writing continues to portray her like this, and us as the viewer are curious to learn just who she really was as a person. We know that she was important, that she led a rebellion against her own kind to protect the Earth, and that she meant a great deal to the Crystal Gems and Greg. But just who was Rose really? Behind everyone's fondness and memories of her? Is she really just the all-loving heroic sacrifice we're presented with?

It's funny, because we are a lot like Steven in a way. We are in the same shoes as him, where we learn alongside him in finding out more about is mother and what the kind of person she is behind everyone's rose-tinted glasses. It's a really neat touch that helps connect the viewer to Steven as both a protagonist and a character

Episode Breakdowns (very brief):

Gem Glow:

• I think this is a decent introduction episode that lays out the characters and initial dynamics in the show! The Crystal Gems fight but they don’t want Steven to get hurt, but Steven ends up helping in his own way and starts using his powers as a result. I don’t have much else to say about it, but I think it’s neat!

⭐️ Laser Light Cannon:

• I like this one because you can start to see Rose haunt the narrative, and also the implications that are shown in the episode: the main one being that the cannons activate due to Greg’s phrase! I just love how much this implies how close her and Greg were that she made it so that the cannons activate because of something so silly, yet obviously meant something to her back then

⭐️ Cheeseburger Backpack:

• I stared this episode mainly because I absolutely love how it comes back in the best way possible in Season 1B. It is such good foreshadowing, and while the episode itself isn’t too noteworthy to me, I think viewing it as a mirror of the other episode that calls back to it makes it so much more interesting

Together Breakfast:

• I don’t think there’s much to note in this episode, other than it’s a characterization moment for Steven. It shows how much he sees the gems as his family, and how he wants them all to be together. It’s sweet!

Frybo:

• …I have nothing to say other than…yeah, nightmare fuel 👍

Cat Fingers:

• Okay lowkey this episode disturbed me a bit while I was watching KJDFDFKL 😭 I did not find the cat fingers cute, but I do like how this showed Steven’s ability to shapeshift! We’re starting to see Steven be able to wield some of the abilities the Crystal Gems have too!

⭐️ Bubble Buddies:

• Connie’s first appearance!!! I love it so much, the fact that they had met each other before and Steven was waiting to see her again and return her bracelet, how Connie also paid attention to him too! I love that little backstory they have together before they officially meet

Serious Steven:

• Another characterization one for Steven! Him wanting to help the gems no matter what, and I like how this episode kinda parallels the first episode a bit? Instead of being childish here like in the first episode, we see Steven be more serious, but he still helps them in his own way. Also this had an interesting frame showing a mural with presumably Rose Quartz fighting? Very curious indeed…

⭐️ Tiger Millionaire:

• This is where we see Amethyst’s self-esteem issues at the forefront. Seeing Amethyst’s and Steven’s relationship be expanded upon was nice too. We see one of Steven’s core traits with wanting to make everyone happy. He wants to continue accompanying Amethyst in her wrestling hobby and even uses a made up back story for Amethyst’s wrestler persona to help people understand her better. In relation, we see that Amethyst takes pride and confidence in wrestling because she’s good at it. It gives her something meaningful to her existence. So overall, I think this episode does a good job with characterizing the both of them

Steven's Lion:

• Lion’s first appearance! I love how he’s just…not explained LMAO he’s a pink lion and he’s chilling, and it’s obvious with his connection to Rose because of his pink color scheme

Arcade Mania:

• I like how this episode focuses on Garnet’s competitive side, as well as showing her 3rd eye under her visor. It’s silly, especially with the rhythm game (why did they name it that…), but it’s cool that it showed how Garnet is an important member on the team and seeing Pearl and Amethyst rely on her too. Also her relationship with Steven as well and how determined he was to snap her out of the game was sweet

⭐️ Giant Woman:

• OPAL FIRST APPEARANCE ALSO PEARL AND AMETHYST BEING GAY AF WHEN OPAL FIRST TALKED I THINK I DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE 🪦 but seriously, I like how we see fusion for the first time and they make a cool point that many fusions are their own person, and they take the best aspects of said gems and have them be in balance together. Very cool fr!!!

⭐️ So Many Birthdays:

• They went the existential crisis route omg 😭 but besides how dark this episode is, I do like how we see the gems care for Steven a lot. It also emphasizes the point of Steven’s powers being heavily influenced by his emotions!

⭐️ Lars and the Cool Kids:

• It’s a Lars episode and it exists, but the main thing I loved about it was towards the end. It had such a great moment with Steven standing up for himself and his mother, but it was also a bit heartbreaking too? Steven never met his mother, but he still believes in and realizes how much she cared for living beings. He will stand up for her no matter what because he doesn’t have anything to doubt her on, only what he’s heard from the others. I do wonder if this will be forshadowing later on when Steven learns something less…positive about Rose he can’t stand to believe as the truth

Onion Trade:

• This one is funny LMAOOO I HOPE THAT ONION CONTINUES TO BURN DOWN BEACH CITY

⭐️ Steven the Sword Fighter:

• Another dark one with Pearl literally getting stabbed in front of Steven. Along with the Tiger Millionaire and Arcade Mania, this one is my favorite among the episodes showing the relationship between the gems and Steven! Having him try to deal with the hologram Pearl while the real Pearl isn’t around really showed how much Steven has grown as a person. He’s tying to be more responsible and mature without Pearl around, which I think is a great character moment for him

Lion 2: The Movie:

• I like how this episode both develops Steven and Connie’s relationship (they’re silly kids who both think that the other doesn’t want to hang out with them but Connie provides normalcy for Steven, while Steven provides excitement for Connie. They both accept each other is the main thing that I love about their relationship), as well as whatever tf is going on with Lion DKDKDK it becomes even more clear now that he was Rose’s lion with the training temple they go to (love how this also comes back too). Also COOL SWORD

Beach Party:

• A silly one! This one is more of my favorites among the episodes that focus on the Beach City residents. It doesn’t get too bogged down with silliness, but it still focuses on character interactions between the gems and the residents! It’s overall very funny <3

⭐️ Rose’s Room:

• Rose first voice appearance! In the form of a whale LMAO I couldn’t imagine when this episode first aired and people lose their shit when this happened. It’s cool to get a glimpse into how Rose’s room works, that it gives anything Steven wants, but whatever it creates is still imperfect

Coach Steven:

• Sugilite first appearance! I cannot believe Nicki Minaj voiced her 😭 also I do like how it touched upon Pearl’s insecurities. “I’m not strong enough to do anything” THATS SUS PEARL WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN THROUGH WHY IS THAT SOMETHING YOU BLAME YOURSELF FOR??? I NEED TO KNOW MORE

Joking Victim:

• Lars and Sadie are cool ig??? I mean Sadie is cool, Lars is…there LMAO but it’s interesting to see more of their dynamic. I assume they’re a popular ship in the fandom, and I think Lars in his own way can be sweet at times. But in general, I just think that Sadie deserves so much better 💀

Steven and the Stevens:

• Very convoluted episode fr 😭 it doesn’t make much sense to be canon either? I feel like if the gems had access to a time travel artifact thing, they would’ve already used it a long time ago. I’ve also been told this doesn’t come up again, unless it’s with Steven recounting his trauma during this episode, so idk it really doesn’t make much sense, besides it being another silly episode

It’s nice though how this episode hints at the season finale by showing the desert created by Lapis in Mirror Gem in the background! Very cool detail there

Monster Buddies:

• We start to see more of the corrupted gems and learn about them. This one also highlights Steven’s overall kind and compassionate nature that he’s willing to extend to corrupted gems, seeing their humanity beyond the corruption. It’s another reflection of how his mother acted before. Also he’s able to bubble gems now and becoming more and more like his mother

An Indirect Kiss:

• An interesting way to show that Steven has his mother’s healing powers? 😭 was not expecting it to be through his spit DJDKDLDL the title is clever for that. I also like how it subverts our expectations (as well as the gems’ expectations) that Steven has the exact powers his mother did

⭐️ Mirror Gem:

• Lapis first appearance! I love they just casually show that Steven hasn't attended school 😭 it's kinda sad in a way? Like ofc we see Pearl try her best with teaching him, but it still highlights the differences between Steven and the other kids. He still doesn't have the most normal life when it comes to being 12 and not sharing experiences other kids his age have gone through.

⭐️ Ocean Gem:

• The season finale! I loved it a lot. Mainly because of how they start to set up some doubts regarding the Crystal Gems and their motivations. Lapis obviously doesn't like them and tells Steven to not trust them. She says they "never cared about the other gems, only Earth", so it leaves the viewer wondering if what Lapis is saying is true or not. But it also reinforces the point that they gems have been fighting for Earth, in the name of Rose Quartz and her mission. In contrast, Lapis only wants to go back "home", not seeing the beauty in Earth like they do. She's a good foil to the crystal gems (I would also say she parallels Pearl in a way because they both want to go back home, but Lapis follows her own ideals and wants to be set free, while Pearl's takes on Rose's ideals as her own and follows them to the end).

BUT YEAH THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH SO COOL SEASON I LIKE HOW IT'S SETTING UP A BUNCH OF THINGS FOR LATER STUFF AND IT'S SILLY AND HAS ITS SERIOUS MOMENTS TOO!!! I think the show towards the end started to become more grounded on what it was going to do, so I like that! I can't wait to start my review of Season 1B fr 🫡

[trlvsn]

I want to state I don't hate Kristoph or anything, I think I just get irritated sometimes at the attention the male characters in ace attorney get. I love Kristoph as a character and I've drawn and written about him a lot because he's cool! I just wish more people could give the leniency to female characters that they gave male ones. and Dahlia n Kristoph are good examples of similar characters for me.

why people should try to give Dahlia Hawthorne a chance (imagine this has been presented like a PowerPoint)

- she's so fucking funny first of all. fail girl of all time.

- literally got roasted so hard she went to hell

- so so much potential in her character

- Capcom mishandled her because they hate women but we don't have to hate women as well

- she killed a pedo, and someone who likes Britain (girl win!)

- she technically stopped Godot from his coffee addiction with an.. intervention. and it worked for a few years. to be polite.

- a woman

- a lesbian

- transgender

- her backstory is actually there even if it's a mess. unlike other poison loving gay ass characters.. (THIS IS A JOKE PEOPLE PLS DONT HATE ME I'M BEING SILLY N JESTFUL!)

- since her backstory and character is a mess you can just interpret her however u want and ur right!

- Capcom genuinely wrote her character while hating her and forgot that she was a child when Terry Fawkes "dated her" and that she was even YOUNGER when she apparently manipulated her father into dropping off Iris and abandoning her at a temple?? like you were so right for pointing this one out.

- It really feels like the narrative hates her more than it likes being a good story and smooth ride. It just wants to demonise her over and over again than write an impactful journey of a character becoming filled with hatred and jealousy.

- my femcel queen

- objectively the funniest character and also the most tragic (to me so actually not at all objective but but but)

- really good showing of how even though she was so distant from the Fey family and her bio mother, she still suffered due to their family's generational trauma and baggage.

- cool design!!!!!!!!!!

- incredibly underrated for the final villain of the ace attorney trilogy. Like other villains in ace attorney are cool and all but pls pls pls I know she's not a twink in a homoerotic relationship but she's so cool..

I think Dahlia Hawthorne could be really interesting if people gave her a chance and I really wish they would because as a person or someone who is seen as a girl a lot and demonised a bit due to my uh.. issues.. I find myself relating to parts of her character. Also evil women go fucking crazy, love em. This also kind of goes for Iris as well, she doesn't... really ever get talked about outside of her relationship with Phoenix n that's in part fault of the fandom AND Capcom (my sworn enemies.)

Anyway thanks for listening - or well reading! :3

anon while we have vastly different interpretations of her character you are so incredibly correct in the general message of it all. like..you are correct with every part of this obviously it's just the matter of me having a different approach, but people seeing her as someone only tied to phoenix is so real and true. what capcom did was make dahlia a manic pixie nightmare girl (a female character created solely for the development of the male lead but in an evil way this time) and tbh we need to reject those behaviors and come up with cool shit for her

actually that manic pixie nightmare girl thing was so smart of me to say. i love myself i'm the smartest girlboy alive. you are also a genius anon honestly go off with this?? if i were you i would already be creating art and unhinged essay posts about this whole thing

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 114 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: cutting apples

Ah yes, Anya Villette. Very close to Anna Willett (or Anne, or Annie...)

Original statement given April 22nd, 2009. Hm. There are some continuity problems regarding Hill Top Road, which also very well may be canon as we can speculate from this statement here. Ivo Lensik's statement (MAG 8) took place in November 2006. Father Burroughs' experience however happened in 2009. No mention about the month I think, but he says in his statement, that it was chilly in 105 Hill Top Road because it didn't have any windows yet due to still being under construction.

"I should know this place, I think. I used to go to the Tate a lot when I lived in London, and I, I passed the building, but…" I've never been to London so I have no idea about this... But... So Google maps says the Chelsea area is further to the west than Millbank. Yet, the Chelsea College of Art & Design is also in Millbank, which we now know Jonny has envisioned for the looks of the Magnus Institute. How?? Why is that stuff called Chelsea when it's not in Chelsea? Sasha implied the Institute is in Chelsea with her "I love the Institute’s building, of course, it’s beautiful, but from a money point of view, I really wish it wasn’t in Chelsea." But Oliver said "All I know for sure is that I realised after some time that the red light was leading me towards Vauxhall and the Thames." and Vauxhall in turn is across the Thames to Millbank! Whyyyy? Is it just some... marketing bullshit? Does Chelsea have a better reputation? (Our neighboring town does that shit *grrml* Calling everything "[river name] valley" when they are outside the mountains and are just flatlands with no valley at all! The river barely brushes them. But I guess it sounds better than "flat fields".)

Movement in the dust sheets for the furniture, the tree with eight branches that apparently makes you have visions... The Web already had a bit of a grip in this world beyond the crack.

"Obviously it was my decision." Was it?

There is again a underlying sociocritical theme. This sense of duty to go all in when it comes to tasks in our jobs. Anya Villette checking the cupboard, even if it wasn't included. Checking the basement, even if there was no word about one. This is something that as been stewing over the course of generations now. Difference is, now the wages are so low, you can barely live with just that. So why go that far for our job if we're not paid adequately? 

Interesting to see that there are versions of some of Anya's friends in this world. How? How do they know her if she doesn't exist in this world? Is this also some mind/reality fuckery by the Fears? To spread even more terror?

JON: "Interesting. I’m not really sure what to do with this one. Martin brought it up, said he’d found one that related back to Hill Top Road" Web!Martin!

Tim and Jon just spitting poison at each other between the lines...

JON: "And h– I would like to hear how you’ve been doing." Still, Jon is considerate to not ask any questions. No questions, no accidental compulsion.

TIM: “Nothing with that thing here, no.” Is that the “Not with that thong” blooper? xD

JON: "hat do you think is listening?" TIM: "What?" JON: [Strongly] "What do you think is listening to the tapes?" TIM: "Don’t do that." JON: "Sorry." TIM: "Don’t!" JON: "Sorry, I didn’t –" Aaand it still happened though, and Jon knows it's wrong, the way be immediately backpedals...

TIM: "And you know what I think. It’s that… the thing that runs the Institute. “The Watcher” or “The Eye” or whatever." JON: "I dis… I disagree. This whole place is a temple to The Eye, Tim. I don’t think the tape recorders make any difference." TIM: [Viciously] "Elias, then." JON: "In that case we’ll stick to talking about things he already knows." TIM: "Why are you so set on having it running?" THAT is an interesting conversation to have directly following a Web statement.

TIM: "So why don’t you ‘Archivist’ me, then? Just pull it straight out." JON: "Because I don’t want to. I am not your enemy, Tim." TIM: [Dismissively] "Like that matters. These things aren’t human. It’s… instinct. You can’t not." JON: [Softly] "I’m still me, Tim." [TIM HUFFS] "I’m still me." Arrr, there is so much emotion in these four lines. Jon still has to come to terms with what's happening to him, questioning his own "humanity". People, he doesn't know, already thrown the "not human" card at him and that is one thing. But Tim doing it audibly hurt him.

TIM: "No. How can I be sure who they are? You know how long that thing pretended to be Sasha?" JON: (BACKGROUND) "Oh… Oh god." TIM: "And I had no idea? I knew Sasha for years, we… I don’t know Martin as well as I knew her. I barely know what Melanie and Basira look like. Or that weird murder-cop. How the hell am I supposed to be sure of any of them?" I was wondering why Tim was so adamant on hating Jon. Because it seemed like he was long past the point of hating him for the stalking, which was totally valid. But Jon's hardly at fault for anything that has happened in the Archives. He asked Tim to transfer to the Archives, but usually a transfer also requires a "yes" from the questioned party. Even if not (which I have only encountered in public service, but other countries have other laws...), Jon had no idea what was going on in the Archives. But Tim just not being able to stand Jon (or Martin. I suppose he kinda gives a flying fuck about the others) because it reminds him how he didn't recognize his best friend being killed and replaced it so understandable. And I'm not even speaking of the paranoia this has led Tim into...

JON: "That’s not fair! Sometimes I was kidnapped." TIM: "Which is not a good look for a spy, is it?" The joke this scene definitely needed.

Icarus, the one who flew too close to the sun...

DAISY: "How long have you had that shirt?" [...] JON: "Uh, A-America. I had to borrow it, there was… there was blood." Heheh, love TMA for its vague clothing descriptions!

@a-mag-a-day

[burnwater13]

Finally! Someone had told the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter his name. Grogu. That’s right. Grogu. It was a name. Like Ahsoka was a name or Djarin was a name or Peli was a name. 

It’s not like Grogu had picked it for himself. He hadn’t. It was just the name he was called at the Jedi Temple. He didn’t know why they had called him that or who had named him. No one he knew admitted to being the one who did that. 

But if you said it out loud, he would turn his head and ask ‘What?’. It got his attention. That’s what names were for, right? To get your attention. When Din Djarin finally said Grogu’s name, ‘Grogu?’, Grogu had been surprised and grateful and had paid attention to the Mandalorian. Which, as it turned out, was just what Din Djarin had wanted.

Yup, the Mandalorian liked that power. The ability to say a word and capture Grogu’s complete attention. There weren’t many other ways to do that to people. The Mandalorian had found ‘Hey, kid’ less than satisfactory because Grogu always assumed Din Djarin had been talking to someone else. 

But now that he knew Grogu’s name, just who was being summoned, or scolded, or teased was no longer a mystery. It was the owner of that name, Grogu. 

Even the Imps and their collaborators didn’t know his name. They were the ones who called him ‘The Child’, like that was going to be specific enough. Although, who knows, maybe in Gal Basic ‘The Child’ meant ‘little green guy who could use the Force but wouldn’t unless he really liked you or really disliked you’. Gal Basic was strange that way.

The other strange thing was that lots of people seemed to have more than one name. After all, the Mandalorian wasn’t just Din or Djarin. Nope. He was both. Din Djarin. Like Peli was Peli Motto and Ahsoka was Ahsoka Tano. Even the Imps had two names, like Moff Gideon or Stormtrooper FN-2187. 

Grogu wondered why that happened. Did people just decide on a second name? Did their parents decide? Was it a governmental action? He could see the Empire really liking the ability to make people carry a name of their choosing, you know, since names had power. 

Look at all the Darths for example. Darth Sidious. Darth Vader. Darth Maul. Darth Tyranus. Darth Bane, who started the whole thing. They weren’t brothers, or children, or family. So the name didn’t tell you anything about them really, except to cross the street if you heard anyone say ‘Uh, oh! Here comes Darth [insert name here]!’ It was about the power.

Grogu wondered if he actually needed to learn to speak in Gal Basic now. Just to balance the power out with the Mandalorian. It seemed like the thing to do. If he could say Din or Djarin or Mando… he just might get the tall guy’s attention when he actually wanted it. That would definitely change their working dynamic. 

“Din, want frogs!”

“Djarin, want sleep.”

“Hey Mando when are we going to visit Greef Karga again? I miss IG-11!”

He could just imagine the Mandalorian’s face if he learned how to say any of that stuff. He had to imagine it since Din Djarin, Mandalorian Bounty Hunter, was wearing his helmet all the time again. Which reminded Grogu that he didn’t know the Armorer’s name. Did she even have one? Or was ‘Armorer’ like ‘Grogu’? Just a singular name that covered the whole territory of the person? Maybe. 

In which case, maybe Grogu meant something like Armorer did. It was a job. Or a skill set. Perhaps he was called Grogu because he was strong with the Force? Then anyone else strong with the Force would be called Grogu… nope. That didn’t work. Lots of other people had been strong with the Force without being called ‘Grogu’. 

It was also possible that the Jedi had run out of other names for their younglings and had called him Grogu because it was the last name left. He’d never heard of there being two Jedi with the same name. No Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, one and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, two. Or prime, or whatever other designator would be needed to prevent confusion. 

Now he wondered how that worked across the galaxy. There were a lot of people. Did folks just have letters and a bunch of numbers appended to them so you would know the difference? That didn’t even seem real. 

Nope. Grogu liked his name and would keep it. Maybe someday he would be known as Grogu Mando, because he was a Mandalorian now. But until then, Grogu was just fine.

[greypetrel]

[WRAP] for cullen/aisling? ❤️

Oooh this got me so indecisive between ANGST and FLUFF. Decided on the ANGST. Some hurt/comfort after Before the Dawn. ☺️

From this list, if anyone wants to ask another prompt!

  [ WRAP ]: when sitting astride a horse/motorcycle/etc. together, the sender reaches back, takes the receiver’s wrists, and gently pulls their arms around the sender’s waist in an embrace designed to keep the receiver safe, despite feeling remarkably intimate.

Nobody wants to talk, still.

Three days after they made their way out of Dumat’s Temple, the party’s been closed off in a tense silence, speaking just out of necessity, when months of travelling and camping and fighting together are proving to be not enough to just guess movements and requests with but a nod of the head. Even Dorian seems to be at a loss for words, and Varric lost all that he had left after a couple of attempts at jokes.

It has been… Worse than the Emprise du Lion, and that was saying something. The extreme temperature changes of the desert surely aren’t helping, as it osn’t the fact that resources were limited and Cassandra was adamant in rationing, since even Aisling couldn’t work out much to find good, reliable sources of waters beside the wells that marked the road back south east.

Aisling is trying to keep up and stay strong, functional and efficient as a person and as a leader all the time. She slept little, and when she did, it was on the saddle, silently handling the reins to the Seeker when the map and their journey there promised a good deal of nothing for the next hours of night riding to avoid the extreme heath. But, she has been affected too, by what they saw and read, and more than anything by what Maddox told them. And to add to everything that was weighing on her mind, Cullen… Has not taken it well either. And how could he, after all? One thing was discovering that the order that was once your whole life has gone mad and sold itself to the last wannabe evil overlord, for reasons you can vaguely understand, another… Another is knowing that a person you knew experimented on people who were loyal to and trusted him so much.

She knows him well, she knows it’s a lot to take in and digest, and so she didn’t pressure him, slipping into professional mode easily and doing more than she technically would have to, so to ease the burden off his shoulders a little and leave him time to think.

By now, they’re setting up camp in the outskirt of an oasis, the sky paling in the approaching dawn, and Cullen’s just… Not returned from a hour, after going to “check the perimeter” on foot. Aisling’s worried, and doesn’t listen to Varric suggesting her to leave him be. She just hops on her horse, patting his neck with affection and gently asking him to please endure a little more after the whole night of travel, and spurs him on to the direction he went.

It’s not difficult to find him, really, staring at some old ruins half buried in the sand at the other end of the oasis, standing in the middle of the small circle of crumbled columns after he checked for trapdoors and dungeons, no doubt. There’s no veilfire torch waiting to be lit, no runes or weird inscriptions. Whatever that building was, it is long forgotten.

She doesn’t even dismount: all she does is having Little Brother slow down, approaching him from the side. He still hates when she just walks her horse on stone pavements, but for once he doesn’t complain.

“Something noteworthy?” She asks, simply, in the most neutral tone she can muster. It comes out as tired, but there’s really no point in masking, not with him.

“No. Just palms and stones.” He replies, equally tired, and from more than the long ride in the night.

She humms to signal she heard him, and just leans on her side, offering him a hand.

“Let’s get back.”

Cullen doesn’t say anything, there’s no need to. He just sighs, nodding and turning to take the offered hand. She slips her foot away from the stirrup, slipping a little forward to give him more ease to mount and space to sit, and hushing the horse when he does and the weight on the back adds up. It’s not far and Isa’ma’lin is strong, they can make it.

Commander safely on the saddle, she shakes her head when he offers her the stirrup back, and clicks her tongue twice to start walking back, easily guiding the horse around and outside the ruins. She keeps a walking pace, not wanting to overdo it and, honestly, taking the chance for some moments closer to the man she loves. It’s been a while and she misses him, with everything she really would need him close, but won’t pressure him into anything. So, she takes what he can give, even if it’s just a slow ride back to camp on the same horse.

“You’re tired.” He notices.

“You too.”

“Want to- Ah, give me the reins?”

“And guide my horse? No way, good sir. We both like you, but don’t push it.” She chuckles, tiredly and forcing it up just a little. But… “I didn’t mean to-”

She corrects right after, realising it could sound bad or give the wrong message, right now and then. It’s just a stupid matter of pride, really.

“I know.” He guffaws, in the same tired way, before the conversation dies again.

It’s like taking a breath, in the quiet of the incoming dawn, stars quickly disappearing and sky vaguely turning lighter, lilac to the east. She pulls on the rein: if Cullen laughed at her joke, maybe he won’t mind if she takes the longer route back, not cutting through the palm trees and shrubs but circling the oasis. Slower, but it’ll allow for a view of the dawn on the distant mountains. He doesn’t say anything as she turns the horse left and reassures a mildly disapproving snort from the equine with a dismissive “Hush, you bicoloured doofus!”.

By the time they reach the outskirts of the oasis and Aisling turns the gelding east again, directed to camp and facing the sunrise, the Commander on her back clears his throat to speak, gently resting his hands on her hips, very tentatively as if it could break her. The elf doesn’t react in any way, in a silent “go on”, and after a moment, he speaks.

“About the Temple…”

“It was difficult for you, wasn’t it?”

“No! I mean – yes, but… It’s not what I wanted to say.”

She hums, waiting for him to collect the right words, put them in order, displaying each of them as he would the pieces on a chessboard. He always does, when he has to say something important, and she learnt to give him his spaces.

“About- About Maddox… Aisling, if I ever-”

Oh, she knows that voice. He stutters and fumbles on his words when he’s embarrassed, but that broken, ragged tone is the one of “I’m flailing myself”, is the one of any lyrium withdrawal or any burst of regret over minor things that aren’t under his control, as much as he tries. She shakes her head, decisively. She wouldn’t have any.

“No, venhan.”

“Let me-”

“No, Cullen. I know what you’re saying and- And, no. You won’t.”

“I did.”

“You won’t, not anymore, not with this regret.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know. Take your time. I’m here.”

She leaves the rein on the withers, to sneak her hands slightly back and close fingers on his wrists. Slowly and delicately, so he has time to oppose the movement, she moves them forward, arms and bust slipping towards her in the movement, as she brings both hands to hug her waist, leaning back into him for good measure and not caring if he’s still wearing armour nor if the fur on his collar tickles her ears and her neck. She sighs contently, as he slowly accepts the hug for what it is and brings her closer, spreading legs further and tucking her in, securely. She leans back, solid and grounding and protective, even being smaller than him of a full head, size difference even greater from her not wearing armour. She’s there, she smells like her elfroot lotion, and he’s rarely been as grateful of her presence as in this moment.

“I missed you.” She tells him, after a minute, voice little as if it’s a secret, looking intently at the sun peeking above the horizon, turning the sky in pink and peaches.

"I'm here for you as well. You know it?"

She just nods against his cheek, melting a little, back slouching forward. If he peeks at her profile he can see the eye towards him is watery, shining bright in the dawn, and he knows in an instant that she’s letting go as well, she needs to but doesn’t want to.

“I’m here.” He repeats, squeezing her snugly and tight, and that’s all she needs to believe him, tears falling off her eyes with a snort. He kisses one away, bending slightly. “I’m here.”

[foxingpeculiar]

FF7 R&R: I have completed all world intel for and am about to depart Cosmo Canyon at (what I assume is) the end of Chapter 10 of Rebirth.

Hoo boy, this game just keeps on going, doesn't it? My hope was to finish it this "weekend" (Wed/Thu are my days off), but man, I dunno. I've got 65 hours in this thing already and, what, four more chapters to go? I'm guessing one more big region around Nibelheim (the moogle in CC said there was one more moogle store, so that would track) and then we enter a kind of endgame phase, but we'll see. But they're already talking about heading to Temple of the Ancients, and I imagine that whole bit will take a couple of chapters, so I'm still guessing this entry will end around where Disc 1 of the original did.

As a whole, so far, I'm enjoying myself overall, but I have 2 complaints that keep it from being a total 10/10:

1) The minigames are just getting out of hand at this point. The second and third chocobo flying courses took FOREVER to even clear just the basic rank (fuck trying to S-tier that, although I did do it on the first one cos I wanted the weapon for Yuffie). And then there's the whole battle robots thing, which is like basically Fort Condor, but a different shape and somehow more complicated (I don't really understand how the "programming" part works because I don't care at this point). I see what you're trying to do, but... damn, chill. How deep are we in this thing and you're still throwing new stuff at me? Focus on a few good ones. Like Queensblood. That rules.

2) The first few regions weren't that bad, but both Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon were a fucking NIGHTMARE to navigate in an "okay, I know where I have to go, but have no idea how to get there" kind of way. Like the sort of thing where I'm poking around for 20 minutes and getting irritated so I just look up a guide so I can finally check this box off my list and move on. I like the complexity of the level design, I think it's just some of the open-world tendencies fighting that. Either let me discover things, or give me tools to help me figure out how to access your data points without getting lost and pissed off about it. The game is long enough already.

Other than that, though, I'm still very much into it.

Okay, so the Gongaga sequence was fun. I like how we did a boys' trip/girls' trip split for the journey to the reactor. Scarlett remains an absolute bitch. (Please tell me they're gonna keep the slap fight between her and Tifa in part 3--I wanna see how they update that).

Tifa falling into the lifestream was an interesting moment that I'm 95% sure didn't happen in the original. But I like the follow through they do with that when she meets with the planetologists in Cosmo Canyon and has her little "sharing circle" moment about it. You can tell that experience changed something for her. Made the whole quest more personally spiritual. Like she's been witness to a lot of fucked up shit by this point in her life, but now there's some deeper connection to the bigger picture of it all. And even before Cosmo Canyon, you get a sense of her processing that in the scene she has with Cloud after she wakes up.

I'm also interested by the apparent dueling whispers that really kind of hit home in that bit--they're fighting within the soul of the planet. And Sephiroth seems to be associated with the black ones, which are the ones trying to maintain the original story track, it seems like. The lighter ones are the ones that saved Biggs and Zack in the alternate timeline, so what's the significance of that? CAN the story actually be changed, or are they just baiting me? I don't know. What's the significance of Aerith feeling Zack's hand in the water on the way to the Gi Village? What's the relationship between these timelines, exactly? Is one of them a dream? Which one? These are the questions I'm asking myself at this point.

We got a little more of Cissnei--the party found out she's basically still a Turk (which Cait/Reeve obviously already knew), but she's on our side. Chadley's apparent crush on her is kind of cute, also.

And then there's Cid. And I love the way he's characterized in the one encounter I've had with him so far. Seeing the Tiny Bronco gave me some feels, NGL. But like... are we gonna do Rocket Town? At first, I thought he was going to join the party right there and they were going to elide that bit, but that didn't happen, so we still might. (I'm curious to see how Shera is characterized, if we do.)

What's Hojo doing to Roche? Obviously something Jenova related, but like... that doesn't bode well.

I love Nanaki breaking into his real voice as soon as he sees people from home (and Tifa being weirded out by how old he actually is). Bugenhagen's lab was fucking sweet--I wanna hang out there. But also... okay, I'm gonna admit something here. I never realized he was riding around on a floating materia. I always thought he just had a big ass and no legs and could fly for no adequately explained reason. PS1 graphics, okay? So this version makes a lot more sense. And I like that he's initially so dismissive of the party (Tifa in particular) but then--without having to be confronted about it--comes around and admits he was wrong.

The River of Lights scene was sweet. Aerith's whole speech and everything.

Okay, so the Gi Cave was cool, but the expanded explanation of who the Gi are and what they want is fascinating. Gi Nattak talks! (Also, definitely tried the Phoenix Down trick on him and it didn't work--but the vending machine right before him gives you a discounted Phoenix Down, so they knew I was gonna try). But okay--their whole connection to the Black Materia I don't remember from the original (either it wasn't there, or wasn't explained very much, I don't think), but I buy it. It does raise the question for me, though, if they didn't come from the lifestream, where DID they come from? Are they alien, like Jenova? Interdimensional like Gilgamesh? What's the deal there?

Speaking of Gilgamesh... man, I'm really curious what that's building to. Cos it's a game-long arc, apparently. And it's just... odd.

I have lots of random notes, moments that stood out from this section, but I'm focusing more on the bigger picture here. But yeah, closing in on it--we'll see how far I get tomorrow.

Then it's time to dip back into Elden Ring and work my way toward the DLC (which I hear is absofuckinglutely brutal and I'm excited to be basically dominated by it).

[countess-strahd]

I changed a lot from canon and ended up making it really hard on myself. I recommend looking at MandyMod's guides on reddit, and watching Lunch Break Hero's videos on youtube. (I think the vids are also all available as articles, which is my preferred version, but some might only be in one format.) Keep in mind that you don't have to go with their changes, but you should see what they think, as they're both good at developping the setting further and have some valuable input.

If you're struggling with anything, the subreddit does have some valuable input, so search for the location or character and see what other DMs think. That usually helps me resolve things before they become a problem, like the Yesterhill fight.

Don't get sucked into the trap of making Strahd too difficult. He's incredibly powerful within Ravenloft, but a lot of that power comes from his minions. Your party shouldn't be able to beat Strahd til the very end, not because he's CR 27 or whateber the highest CR statsheet is these days, but because they've taken out the brides, Rahadin, and others of Strahd's allies.

One thing I screwed up on what making the Dark Powers too present in the plot. It's confusing for my players, and they throw a lot of stuff out of whack. Stick to having the vestiges in their amber sarcophagi be trapped in the Amber Temple. If you want to tempt or corrupt your PCs, with your players' consent ofc, my players REALLY like the creepy dreams where shadowy figures come talk to them. Could be a fun route if they have to piece together what's happening from rumors and such. (Where I got stuck is that one PC is a warlock of a powerful vestige/dark power from the temple, so I thought having other warlocks around like Kasimir and Rahadin would be cool. It is not. I fucked up so bad. The lore is so complicated.)

Another mistake I made was making the elves and vistani wayyy too closely tied together. Try and keep them distinct from each other as oppressed minorities within Barovia, and let the Barovian villages feel distinct culturally, as well. No two groups are the same. A way to do this is accents, but also description. Vallaki looks totally different from Barovia, Krezk, the elf village and the Vistani camp, etc. Also, they can be kinda emoty. Barovia has a terrifying population decline, and Vallaki and Krezk are no better. The elves are dying slowly but surely. The Vistani, meanwhile, have no lack of children and young folk. This should help them all feel separate. (Related note: I named the elf/vistani camp outside Vallaki "Avenir" for simplicity. Having Ez be from there, and be the only young person or maybe the only woman besides Arabelle the little girl, might add to the off vibes that PCs should sense here.)

Also: make Strahd the most manipulative, frighteningly in control, possessive, seductive, puppetmaster-y piece of shit you can conceive of. Strahd's spies are everywhere, and the PCs should pick up on that quickly for maximum horror vibes. Have these spies lie, manipulate, and subtly threaten. They should be nervous around animals, strangers, NPCs who are too helpful or know more than expected, and each other.

On the other hand, having Ireena work as a DMPC has been a godsend. DON'T rob players of choice, but being able to say "I don't think we should go there... at least not without a plan." is so damn useful in a campaign designed to kill your PCs if they screw up! She knows the valley despite never seeing much of it, can talk shop with burgomasters and others because of her upbringing, and is a sword-wielding badass. Ireena is willing to die for Barovia, or become undead, if it would save others. This makes her a fantastic NPC ally.

Allies: pick ahead of time. Rig the whole tarokka reading, honestly. Don't give your players a terrible ally like I did. Van Richten, Ez, and Ismark are very good choices. You could even say it's "the vampire hunter" and lead them to think it's RvR or Ez, only to have it turn out to be the other one. If you want, you can skip the reading entirely and just give them plot suggestions from Eva. As in, you might be able to find allies in Vallaki, Argynvostholt survivors, or the Winery. Something like that gives them direction but allows you to mix it up behind the scenes, where necessary. (Might be biased bc my reading fucked up my game, but that was my own damn fault lol)

It's a fun campaign. Don't worry too much about details and you'll be just fine. Good luck :-)

hi dnd tumblr 😎 i'm beginning to plan my curse of strahd campaign for my group, and here i am wondering. pondering. considering, even.

dms, is there something in strahd you would have changed/removed/did end up changing?

tips? tricks?

i myself have never played (which is so sad) but i'm determined to run it

[nevertheless-moving]

Imagine Luke and Leia ending up in the clone wars era but all of their force abilities are “what the actual fuck?” levels of bullshit, and neither of them ever realized that the things they could do with the force were considered extremely high level techniques.

that is one of my FAVORITE things to imagine yes. To me this is less about ‘Skywalker bullshit’ (though there is some of that) and more about the training they (didn’t) receive.

The high-Midi-chlorians-actual-descendents-of-the-force thing makes it easier to tap into the force, makes it more possible to do so without accidentally exhausting yourself. But, in universe, under the right circumstances and with the properly channeled belief anyone can do anything. That’s why Palpatine had to make the galaxy want an empire, why his first strategy was misdirection and his top priority was crushing hope. Chirrut was supposedly force-null and he walked through an army. Han navigated that astroid field because he had to. The force is everywhere. 

In an amusing but possibly unintended turn of events, 6-12 weeks of training in a swamp with an elderly frog who only talks in riddles without ever being exposed to Jedi culture except as a myth is actually IDEAL if you’re looking to maximize a Jedi’s raw strength. Most Jedi training that we see in the prequels is explicitly designed to put the breaks on a force-users raw power (for honestly very valid reasons). Channeling all violence through a single weapon that will start screaming if you get too violent, training to use it defensively, is definitely the soft-ball alternative to just squashing people like meatballs. 

Meditating, wearing beige, the code, shunning attachments, all that stuff is built around making sure force users never run above first or second gear even in stressful situations (again valid, when you run your jedi in the red sometimes they become murder monsters). The downside of this is that when they’re forced to maintain that placid pace for years at a time (i.e: prolonged war), they’re much more likely to burn out.

When Yoda told Luke do or do not, told him a luminous being was he, told him size matters not, the amazing thing isn’t that Luke believed him. That was karking objectively provable. Yoda lifted a spaceship, so now Luke knows he can too if he just thinks he can. So he does. Vader and Palpatine conquered a galaxy. Luke believes he can stop worlds, crush armies, conquer planets and so he can. 

The incredible thing about Luke is what he doesn’t do despite being tapped into the Force utterly free of mental restraint. Luke’s op character trait is his compassion, not his strength.

I assume at some point Luke puts Leia through a similar 2 month meditation class where he convinces her that her only limitations are the ones she imposes on herself. She has a complete meltdown when she realizes that she actually could have boiled Tarkin alive with her mind and saved Alderann. This causes a volcano to go off, devastating the ecology of a small moon. On the flight home, both of them slightly charred, she tells Luke that she wanted to focus on politics and didn’t really want to be a Jedi anyway. Luke nods quickly, supporting her decision, and resolves to seek out some Jedi texts about how to teach people they can do anything but also...maybe...not...anything.

And thus the Jedi order is reborn.

- - -

In the time travel version of this, it means that Luke is assuming that all of the Jedi are restraining themselves like he is. And they are, but they also aren’t, because their breaks are subconscious, built in since childhood, and have a lot of failsafes so even if they turn darkside they still restrain themselves pretty good (a la Dooku). 

Leia is, again, less interested with the Jedi-specific aspects of the war (especially now that she doesn’t have to feel guilty about being one of the only people who can pick up that mantle) and more interested in the diplomatic side. Again, Palpatine can only succeed if the galaxy at large accepts this, and from where she’s standing they’re fucking moving in that direction. If being a Jedi is tapping into the mystical energy field that binds all living things together to channel it through one specific person in one specific place, then politics is manipulating that same power for a diffuse impact on as many people as possible. 

This status-quo lasts until a major clone wars battle where Luke’s like ‘wait- the entire other side is sub-sentient droids? No living beings, and no droids with complex personality matrices? And they’re currently, actively killing living, sentient humans? Well kriff, come on! This is a no-brainer!’

Luke takes a deep breath. The air- it doesn’t disappear or anything- but it- it stops moving. It’s hard to explain...but breathing has an odd...resistance. The hair on the back of every clone’s neck stands up. Several get vaguely sea sick. One pukes a little. Plo Koon stumbles back, head ringing and afraid.

Luke Skywalker stands up and clenches his fists. 10,000 droids crumple like flimsi in the hands of a child. The battlefield is eerily quiet for a moment, then that imperceptible hum (which no one noticed until it stopped) fades and the air returns to its normal density. A few of the shinies start whooping, then the whole battalion is cheering.

Luke massages his temples, smiling wryly at Master Koon. “I guess I can see how that would get exhausting if you were doing it everyday.”

Plo Koon just stares.

[mercy-burning]

Honeybee

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: While attending Seraphina's wedding, Y/N discovers that her crush on her best friend’s older brother hasn’t gone away after all these years. Category: SMUT (18+) Content: Strong language, alcohol consumption, fingering, penetrative/protected sex Word Count: 5.7k

MASTERLIST

NOTE: I know I promised a oneshot over the weekend, but I’m a messy, inconsistent bitch, so you get it a day late 😅🥰

———

Looking back, I was starting to wonder if Seraphina only got engaged and asked me to be her maid of honor just to witness my slow descent into a heaping puddle of lovesick mush.

Truly, it was pathetic.

Yeah, yeah, she was getting married because she loved her fiancé and whatever, obviously, but she was also using it as an excuse to try and get me to admit my feelings for her older brother. Feelings, I might add, that only surfaced when I was a middle schooler and went away once he went off to college.

Sure, I'd thought about him on occasion when he was inevitably brought up around Sera's house throughout the years, but that was it. I'd hardly say I was hard-core in love with him. And I was totally prepared to see him for the first time since our high school graduation.

At least, I thought I was.

And Seraphina—the little shit—knew it, too. The smirk on her face the moment we were all in the same room for the first time in ten years made me want to run and hide more than her brother's figure, right in front of me and hotter than ever.

I was mad. Not at Sera as much, because really there was nothing she could do about the fact that he was her brother, but I was mad at myself. Because how in the hell had it stood to reason that a man I actively didn't think about for a whole decade had this much of an effect on me after all this time?

Honestly? I blame the FBI.

If he'd done literally anything else with his life I probably could have made it. Well, not by much if we're being honest, but come on...

Where he'd been a bit nerdy and reserved as I knew him, the man in front of me had clearly changed. Not just physically, though that was also a pleasant surprise. He looked like he'd been through some shit... And he carried himself taller. There was a new air of confidence that perched on his shoulder and helped him along as he talked with old friends and family members at his sister's rehearsal dinner.

Spencer Reid was older and more experienced this time around, and somehow even more goddamn delicious...

I was a total wreck. And it was about to get a whole lot worse.

He was coming this way. Right for me. He'd noticed me staring at him all night, because I couldn't keep my shit together, and now I was absolutely doomed.

Guess it was a good thing I'd practically grown up with him and knew how to act outwardly.

Still, the moment he was up close and flashing me that little smile of his, I felt the pit of my stomach scream out loud, sending shockwaves through my bloodstream.

"Hey, Honeybee. It's been a while."

Fuck. That fucking nickname...

"Spencer... It has."

When we hugged briefly, I tried as hard as I could not to inhale his scent, knowing that not only was that pathetic and embarrassing, but also I'd never stop smelling it otherwise. I did take note, though, of how strong he was now. He wasn't a bodybuilder of any kind, but he was certainly less bony and more defined.

I had to hold back a whine as I felt him let go of me, because I didn't want to leave his warm embrace but also because I didn't think I could stand to look at his face anymore without losing any and all semblance of my cool.

Still, I let him release me, and even then he didn't go far. We only stood inches apart, and my whole body was practically numb at the proximity. It also didn't help that I had to tilt my head up to see his face— It made me feel extremely submissive, and I could already feel myself starting to shrink.

Whether he was amused at that or just at me in general, the feeling I got was the same.

"Sera tells me you've been busy..." He paused, seemingly searching for the right word, though I could tell he already had it on the tip of his tongue. "Modeling?"

I closed my eyes with a sigh. "It was one job for some obscure European magazine, no one in the country's probably ever heard of it... It's not that big of a deal."

Spencer huffed a laugh. "You sound embarrassed..."

How was I supposed to respond to that? If I lied and told him I wasn't embarrassed, he'd figure it out, and if I told him the truth? I'd still be screwed. Honestly, my best bet was changing the subject.

Though, maybe it wasn't— When I asked him about his travels for work, he ignored it and responded with, "Ah, so you are embarrassed."

"N— I am not!"

"You changed the subject so fast I barely had time to blink... There's nothing to be ashamed of, Honeybee, I don't know why you'd—"

"Look, dude, I'm not ashamed, and I'm certainly not changing the subject. We were on the subject of jobs. So there."

I was aware of how childish I sounded, but I stood my ground nonetheless. And thankfully Spencer seemed to let it go, though not without amplifying that amused sparkle in his eye.

"Okay... Well, I've got some more people to see, but, uh... I'll see you around. Maybe you can show me some of your work."

He didn't even give me time to protest. Though if he had, I was sure I wouldn't have been able to get any words out what with that goddamned face he had, twisted and sculpted into all these beautiful ways that were designed specifically to make me a blubbering hot mess.

I could only gather the courage to nod in response, though he'd turned his back and walked away by the time I got it out.

———

All things considered, I'd managed to avoid him for the majority of the wedding festivities. I focused all my energy on being happy to see my best friend get married, and likewise it seemed that Spencer was inclined to do the same.

He walked his sister down the aisle, and seeing them both so happy truly made my heart sing. To think I'd known them since we were all kids more or less, and now they were both successful, beautiful human beings... It warmed me to my core, and despite the other flames that stung my insides at seeing Spencer in his tux, thing were going swimmingly.

That being said, we were just about two hours into the reception, and there was absolutely nothing stopping me from begging Seraphina to put me out of my misery.

Except maybe pints upon pints of alcohol.

In hindsight, that may not have been a good idea, though. Because as much as the open bar had it benefits, it also hated me. It was mostly my fault, because I was stupid enough to forget that I get frisky when I'm drunk, but that didn't stop me from blaming the bartender for continuing to serve me.

I wasn't quite at the point of all-out inebriation, but I was definitely toeing the line between tipsy flirting and total disaster.

And when Spencer came over to ask me to dance, I knew I was doomed.

I didn't find myself caring about what he was saying, only the fact that he was there, in front of me, putting his hands on me and breathing in the same air that I was putting out. My entire body buzzed, and while I would have panicked otherwise, my tipsy brain welcomed the tingle and made me a bit bolder.

"You enjoying yourself tonight?" he asked, like he couldn't already tell that I was having the time of my life.

"No way. You suck at dancing." The joke rolled off my tongue with ease, a product of years spent teasing him for countless things.

And just like all those times before, he rolled his eyes and then immediately flashed an affectionate smile all the same.

I should have stopped there, maybe tried to do something a bit more romantic like teach him how to dance... Placing his hands and fixing his posture, taking the time to gracefully have an excuse for exploring his body with my hands...

But romance took a backseat when I pressed myself in even closer to him and hummed just under his jawline. "Mmm, but I bet you're good at other things..."

I felt his hands grip my waist just a little tighter, and his throat visibly twitched. "How much have you had to drink, Honeybee?"

"Spencer," I whined, pressing my face into his neck. "Don't tell me you're turning me down, please..."

I could tell by the way he was touching me, his hands wavering and undecided, and the way his heartbeat thrummed loudly and quickly against my own that he wanted nothing more than to entertain my desires.

The thought made me quiver and press further into him. I kissed his jawline tenderly, silently begging him to whisk me away and finally make me his, but it broke my heart a little to feel him peel away from me.

When he looked into my eyes though, I swore the gleam in his own is what put me back together. It could have been the liquor swimming around in my body that made me feel lightheaded, but when Spencer lifted my chin with his fingers and looked me over, I knew that wasn't it. It was wholeheartedly, without a doubt, him.

"Tell you what... You get sobered up by the end of the night, and maybe I'll come find you."

I wanted to nod, but his gentle grip on my chin held me steady—At least until he glided his fingertips down my throat and over my shoulder. Then I downright slumped forward with a whine and a weak nod that seemed to make him smile.

"Thank you for the dance," he said earnestly, leaning forward to press the lightest of kisses to my temple.

Just like that he was gone, and I wanted him back almost immediately.

———

And so the night dragged on, and the longer I sobered up the more it dawned on me what the fuck just happened— What the fuck was going to happen, too, if I played my cards right.

It didn't help that I could practically feel Spencer's eyes on me the whole time. Probably to make sure I really wasn't drinking anymore, a fact that only made this feel more real.

On top of it all, I was starting to lose count of the amount of men here who were trying to buy me drinks. Even if the one man I really wanted tonight hadn't given me a deal, I still wouldn't have accepted them, if only for the pathetic fact that I would have been trying to catch his attention instead.

So much for trying to convince myself I wasn't in love with him...

Was that really what it was? It had to be, right?

Either way, I was determined to find out, and that meant declining every flirtatious offer to drink and dance.

Unfortunately, Seraphina seemed to notice, even on the one day in her entire life she shouldn't have been thinking about anyone but herself. "You're not having fun," she pouted, plopping down next to me and handing me a shot. "Have fun."

I laughed and set the tiny glass down on the table. "I am having fun, I'm just... tired. And being hungover tomorrow does not sound fun."

"Mmm," she responded, visibly suspicious.

I didn't really know what to say to her to convince her not to be though, so I grabbed her hand and smiled. "You're having fun though, right? 'Cause I will not hesitate to kick someone's ass if you're not."

With a bellowing laugh mildly tainted with the smell of champagne, Seraphina squeezed my hand and leaned in close. "I'm having the best time. I couldn't be happier."

"Well, good. You deserve it."

After a small moment of silent shared smiles, my best friend glanced over elsewhere and then back to me with that look in her eye that kind of scared me.

And her words were even scarier... "So, you talk to Spencer at all tonight?"

"Uh— Yeah... Briefly."

"Mhmm... Y'know, I saw you two dancing together earlier. You seemed reeeally close..."

There I was, getting defensive in front of a Reid sibling for the second time that night. And just like before, I was awful at being subtle. "Sera, stop it! It was just a dance..."

"Bullshit! He had his hands all over you, and he had that gross-ass, dreamy-ass look in his eye! He so wants to sleep with you!"

"Sera!" I gently shoved her and tried not to smile at the goofy smile she had plastered on her face.

"Am I wrong?"

"I... I don't..."

"Ha! I'm not wrong!"

The defeated look in my eye did nothing to disconfirm her story.

"So, what's stopping you from letting him?"

I went wide-eyed. "Se—You... You seriously would... You're okay with this? It doesn't... gross you out?"

There were a lot of things I could have seen Seraphina do in that moment, but pinching and yelling at me were not any of them. "Y/N! You idiot! I've been trying to get you two together for years! If I knew all it took was me getting married, I would have accepted Theo Decker's proposal..."

"Wa— In fifth grade? Sera, that wasn't—"

"I know, but you get what I mean! You two are so painfully attracted to each other, it physically hurts me. It's actually disgusting, but if it means there's a chance that you might get to be my sister? I say go for it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You... You really mean that?"

"What, you think I'd joke about that?"

Everything that she conveyed to me within the look in her eyes, her words, and the squeezing of her hand over mine told me she was sincere.

"I love you, you know," I told her just as sincerely.

Her smile was as radiant as ever, but the teasing tone in her voice was enough to make me scowl again. "Right back at'cha, Honeybee. Just do me a favor and don't tell me any details. I don't wanna know."

I stuck my tongue out at her, followed by a short shove. "Oh, and as soon as you get back from your honeymoon? I'm kicking your ass for telling him about that nude shoot I did for that magazine..."

She only grinned. "Why? I think I did you a favor..."

I rolled my eyes at her, but in the end, I guess she was right.

———

I shouldn't have been pacing. Really, it was pretty fucking embarrassing the way I walked in circles around my hotel room, waiting for a knock at the door or a text message on my phone, or something to let me know that Spencer had really meant what he said and was on his way to come find me.

I didn't have a single drink after we danced, and I swear to God, if he made me go through this entire night all nervous without the liquor to calm me down, for nothing? I was going to kill him tomorrow.

Later today... Whatever.

The point? I was well and truly ready to feel him taking up my personal space, and I was going to feel like a real idiot if I waited around and prepped and everything, only for him not to show. The funny thing was, it was almost two in the morning, and I would have stayed up until the sun rose for him.

Thank God he had the decency to save me the trouble.

A short two-rap knock on the door made me jump, but I ran at it full-speed, flinging the large wooden panel open and letting its momentum blow cool wind over my body. And I needed it, too.

Because standing right in front of me was Spencer Reid in all his semi-exhausted glory. His outfit was loosened, buttons undone and bowtie untied, hanging limp around his neck. His hair sat wild atop his head and a thin layer of sweat coated his skin. Maybe that last part sounded gross, but looking at him? It was anything but.

Especially when he flashed me that damned smirk. "Someone's eager..."

I tried not to sound as dumbfounded by his presence as I felt. "Well, you made me a good offer I couldn't refuse. Excuse me for being excited."

"And here I thought all this time you hated me, Honeybee..."

"That would be easier, wouldn't it?"

His grin transformed into a full-on beaming smile then, and it only made my skin feel warmer and my heart beat faster. I returned his smile with my own, so genuinely happy to see him again after all this time, and with the brightest show of happiness I'd ever seen.

Turns out, smiling like a lovesick idiot was all I was capable of.

"Are you... gonna let me in?"

The low suggestive tone in his voice had me springing into action, stepping back and allowing him the space to come in. And though he had plenty of room, Spencer still decided to brush his body over mine as he passed. His eyes bore into my own as he gently kicked the door shut and enveloped us in a dimness that came from cheap hotel lighting.

Still, I was unable to speak, and hardly able to even breathe, with each passing second.

And then, his hands were on my waist, pulling me to him with a softness that matched the whisper in his throat as he said, "C'mere..." Looking up at him then, his fingers burning holes through the thin fabric of my dress while he looked back down me, eyes swimming in tender desire... It almost didn't even feel real.

And it certainly didn't feel real when he leaned in, one of his hands coming up to touch my face while the other pressed me firmly against him.

The moment his lips touched mine, I was gone. I positively melted into him, so much so that it felt like I was just becoming a part of him entirely, losing myself in the moment and unwilling to let it go.

Even when he sighed against my lips and parted his own to kiss me deeper, I just followed suit and let him take the lead. We moved together as one, fluidly and with as much eagerness was possible. I'd wanted to get a taste of him for so long, and he obviously felt the same way, what with the thorough and precise exploring his tongue did with my own. It shot warmth throughout my whole being, and my legs threatened to buckle underneath me from how weak they felt.

Spencer seemed to understand what was happening to me, because as soon as I'd thought it, he was just as quick to literally sweep me off my feet, scooping me up bridal style and carrying me over to the large bed in the middle of the room.

"I know we're at a wedding and all, but geez," I laughed, watching as he laid me down gently and crawled over my body. "A little much?"

He only rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me for trying to be romantic..."

"Mmm, I think you're just being an overachiever. As per usual."

That remark earned me a pinning of my wrists above my head, and the fire that erupted in my very core at my current position only cemented that this was very real.

Spencer grinned, his hips coming down to roll over mine teasingly. He spoke nice and slowly, his voice slicing through my soul like smooth butter. "Oh, Honeybee, I'll show you an overachiever..."

Once again I was rendered speechless. Not like I expected to be talking his ear off or anything, but words genuinely escaped me.

Luckily, Spencer didn't seem to mind. In fact, he knew exactly what to do next, and it made me even hungrier for him than ever before.

He captured my lips in another dizzying kiss, his hands still flexing over my wrists to keep them steady. I moaned softly and writhed against him, and though I would have liked to say that it was a conscious choice to coax him to give me more, really it was just me being unable to handle the fact that this was actually happening.

Actually, if not for the overwhelming and familiar scent of him, I would have thought I was only imagining it.

But alas, here he was in all his floral peppermint glory, grinding his hips down into mine and kissing me like I'd never been kissed before, driving me mad with each adept movement.

Thankfully he seemed to get as lost in the moment as I was, because he loosened my wrists in his grip, and I broke free, flying my hands in between us and down to his belt.

His lips pulled away from mine with a soft smack, a smile forming smugly upon them. "Have you no patience?"

As my fingers fumbled with the metal and leather, I pressed my nose to his and quickly pecked his mouth. "I thought we already established that I have no patience the moment I opened the door..."

"Fair... But still..."

Spencer grabbed my hands again, moving them to my sides and then hiking my dress up slowly. His skin was hot against my own, and it took everything I had not to break down begging for him.

And then he spoke again, his lips barely grazing mine as he did. "Teasing you is so much fun..."

I couldn't really explain what sound escaped me then, but it reminded me of a disgruntled animal, erupting from my throat and getting muffled the moment I took my hands and brought his face to mine. I kissed him fervently as his hands matched the intense nature of my affections— With every soft groan I gave him, he returned it with an inch higher up my leg, until eventually he was toying with the hem of my underwear.

Unable to take it anymore, I gave in and mumbled the most desperate plea I could think of. (Like I had to think that hard...)

"Spencer, please..."

I half expected him to tease me again, but this time I felt him tremble over my body. His fingers slipped under the satin of my underwear and he sighed into my mouth. "God, how could I ever say no to you..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did he spread me apart with his fingertips, getting a feel for me and a broken sigh falling from his tongue and onto my own. I captured it and kissed him with as much precision as I could while under the influence of his hands working wonders.

Truly, his hands hand a magic of their own that should have been considered as an eighth Wonder of the World. They flexed in all the right places, splitting me open and caressing the most sensitive parts of me, simultaneously breaking me apart and putting me back together...

God, and those was only his hands...

The thought of what else he had waiting for me made me cry out into his mouth, though I'm sure it also had to do with the fact that his fingers were curling expertly inside me and summoning an orgasm that I knew would satisfy us both.

I almost cried out again when his lips left mine, but then they travelled to my neck and paid it the most glorious attention. The alternation of his fingers and his tongue on different spots of my body had me in shambles, and it took no longer than a few seconds to snap.

"Fuck, that's my girl," Spencer grumbled into my neck, helping me through my orgasm. "That's it, honey..."

What I wouldn't have given to hear him talk to me like that until the end of time... His words, their tone and praise seeping into my skin and bringing my soul to life... Coupled with his soft hands and his even softer breath fanning over my neck, I was just about ready to ask him to keep talking to me, to say my name and never stop.

He pulled away though, removing his hand from my lower half and bringing it up to his mouth, and I had the feeling my request wouldn't be a problem.

Spencer's eyes rolled back and his tongue gathered my arousal off his long, well-endowed fingers. And though I could hear his groan well and clear, I felt it more than anything. It reverberated through my body and brought me more to life in a way I never thought imaginable.

No one had ever made me feel that way with one single sound, and that's how I knew.

I thought I knew it from the start—from when we were growing up—that I wanted to be near him forever. But It was always just a silly dream, something I was never quite able to reach, and as I got older and we rarely saw each other, it got harder to even imagine anymore.

Now I didn't have to imagine.

Spencer Reid was right in front of me, touching me, tasting me, verbally praising me with sounds I'd only ever dreamed of...

I wanted him to have his moment, because I was positive he'd wanted this just as much as I did, but this sappy sort of revelation I was having made it nearly impossible to not be utterly wrapped up in him, and I wanted more.

So I wiggled and adjusted myself underneath him before grabbing his hand and placing it over my heart. His eyes widened softly at the sight of me, and I knew then that he was taking the time to memorize my face, and the image of his hand resting at my chest, right where my heart was encased beneath bones, flesh, and fabric.

"I could look at you forever," he whispered then.

I would have been ashamed to admit that I whimpered when he said it, but the way he looked at me afterwards made me feel the exact opposite.

He smiled, using his other hand to come up and touch my face. "You want it bad, don't you, Honeybee?"

I didn't even argue with him this time. My head nodded and my hands reached out to pull him closer. "I want you... More than I've ever wanted anything."

Before he leaned down to kiss me, I could have swore he looked like he was going to shed a tear. The duality of him, his ability to be all teasing and cocky one second and then reduced to a lovesick mess at just a few words from me the next, made my heart sing.

And it kept singing, a sweet, steady melody as Spencer kissed me and touched me like he meant it.

Only this time, he didn't pause or tease me with theatrics. He went straight for the kill, fetching a condom from his pants pocket and then sliding the material down, all while keeping me trapped under his embrace. I welcomed it naturally, humming happily into his neck and jawline and anywhere I could reach as he got us both fully undressed and situated, until finally he had the condom on and his hands rested nicely on either side of my head.

"Promise not to sting me?"

I laughed, draping my arms over his shoulders and flashing him a wink. "Mmm, only if you promise to give it to me good..."

"Deal."

He slowly pushed into me then, and the stretch was far more satisfying than his fingers, though I was in no position to complain either way. If he was even half as skilled with his hips as he was with his hands (which I had no doubts about whatsoever), then neither of us had anything to worry about.

It didn't take long for us to find our rhythm, but I didn't have time to think about that. I was so consumed with just the feeling of him being everywhere that technicalities didn't matter.

That being said, the technicalities were really fucking good.

His hips snapped into mine with sharp precision, and I felt it deep within my bones. My cunt clung around him willingly and accordingly, as did my legs, which hooked over his waist as I dug my heels into his ass.

Meanwhile Spencer grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head again, this time interlocking our fingers and then leaning down to kiss me deeply. It was met with my undying welcome, of course, but with the way he was fucking me, deep and with a devotion that nearly exploded my heart, I couldn't help but whine out for more.

His name was all I could manage.

"What do you want, Honeybee?" he cooed, holding himself deep inside me and grinding his hips in small circles that made it harder to breathe.

"M—More... I..."

"Can you be more specific?"

How he could be such a cocky little shit in this moment I wasn't sure, and it frustrated me to no end. He knew damn well what I wanted, and I knew just the thing that would make him give it to me.

I have him the biggest pout I could, also whining out the most pathetic, "More," in my arsenal. And with a roll of my hips up into his, I gasped out at how deep he got, and whined out again.

"Spoiled brat," Spencer grunted in defeat, retreating only to slam into me at full force.

My small gasps and cries turned into full-blown howls of searing pleasure as he fucked me then. My head tipped back and my back arched slightly, exposing my neck and chest to him, and he took it as an invitation to lean down and put his mouth anywhere he could reach. I was sure there would be small nicks and bruises littered over my skin the next morning, and just thinking of everyone seeing them, seeing Spencer's mark on me, made it harder to prolong the inevitable.

I came with a shout, flexing my hands into his as my body tensed then relaxed, over and over while he whispered praises into my skin. He followed soon after, shoving his face into my neck and muffling the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard as he came.

By then his hands had loosened, so I snuck my own away from his and brought them over to hug him close. One hand knotted into his hair while the other grazed over his back. The thin sheen of sweat forming over his skin once again was more enticing than it probably sounded, but I loved it all the same. I felt him relax and bring his arms down to rest at my sides, his fingertips dancing lightly over my skin and giving me goosebumps.

Then out of nowhere, he said something that confused and mildly panicked me. "I thought you said you wouldn't sting me..."

I pulled away to try and look at his face, loosening my grip on his body. "A—Am I hurting you? I'm sorry..."

He laughed though, peppering tiny kisses up my neck until he got to my jaw. "You're not hurting me, Honeybee... You've just... stung my heart, that's all."

"I... Is that a bad thing?"

"It's a strange thing..."

He looked at me like I was the one thing on the planet he adored, but his words sounded different.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not helping me understand..."

With another laugh, Spencer Kissed my cheek and rolled off of me, settling for laying on his side and turning me to face him. "Do you remember how I gave you your nickname?"

Despite my confusion about all of this, I entertained him with a huffed laugh. "Yeah, I spilled honey all over my shorts without realizing it, and I had ants all over me in a matter of minutes. I was terrified."

"I was highly amused."

I shoved him. "Yeah, dork, I know you were! You and Seraphina both thought it was the funniest thing on the planet, and then your mom had to come out and spray me down with a hose before I came back in the house."

Spencer barked a laugh, and I wanted to punch it right out of his mouth.

"Tell me again why this is relevant to our current situation?" I reminded him with and sigh, already over his antics.

Thankfully he seemed to take pity on me; He reached a hand out and played with a strand of my hair, smiling even brighter than when I opened the door for him. "That's when I started to feel it. You were just... so cute all angry at me and Sera for laughing, and it... It changed everything."

"You know, that would be more romantic if I hadn't been covered in bugs," I responded with a laugh.

"It's true! And it confused the hell out of me, because how was I supposed to cope with the fact that I actually had a crush on my little sister's best friend like some stupid cliché? You were always so feisty after that, too, and it certainly didn't help... And when I graduated and went off to college, I thought... I thought there was no chance you would ever be able to break the heart you'd managed to steal."

He swiped his thumb gently over my bottom lip and smiled, his eyes going all tear-y again. It sent butterflies through my whole body.

"I would never even dream of breaking your heart, Spencer..."

Our foreheads pressed together then, and the unwavering adoration in his voice when he spoke made me forget all prior confusion and minor embarrassment over re-living our origins.

All that mattered was that he was here, holding me in his arms and making me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

"I know you won't, Honeybee."

———

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TLOVM Ep 10 Twitch Watch Party Summary

They started off with Grog and Scanlan as V-TUBERS LMAO - and answering silly chat questions, I can't describe this pls just look it up on YT or Twitch it's worth it

- They want a Percy plague covid mask with a voice changer, and would wear it at the grocery store like: "I'd like two apples please. Do you have almond milk? *looking at laundry detergent* You're lucky you're at the bottom of my list" (LOL I NEED IT)

- This is Esme's (Cassandra) first animated series!

- Percy can't talk to Ripley unless his gun is pointed at her cause it has a mic in it (lol)

- Pike needs to take Percy to the temple, but 'Temple' is fantasy for 'Therapist'

- Matt says he told the designers that Ripley was like an evil Elon Musk, sooo just regular Elon Musk

- Percy's one liners are the best, they had to include a lot of them! (Travis: you're dropping nuggets man!)

- Ripley is also traumatized, but Delilah's got her shit together, she gets a lot done

- Taliesin wishes they could have kept 'Did you just shame my ancestors to death?" (Percy to Grog in the De Rolo catacombs), Sam originally was planning a song about this in the first draft

- Matt says it's cool to see the simple maps he drew for the game come to life like the acid trap room

- Taliesin's figured out all the little details about Whitestone down to what's in Percy's office; the mask is mounted on the wall (Matt: I love you so much)

- Scanlan playing heavy metal is why the spell worked this time and he was able to lift everyone. Music composer was like "what? a metal instrumental? for a fantasy show?"

- That's our third ass of the season (Grog), but we really held back - he really puts the ass in acid!

- Ziggurat was pre-calamity, and it's a Knowing Mistress temple and was repurposed for the Whispered One by Delilah

Q&A

Q: Grey, as a voice actor what does it take to craft a character? A: Delilah is like Azula grown up. It's about getting in touch with your inner villain, and finding empathy for them somehow like "oh, she did it for love!" I didn't watch C1 because if I try to copy and fail at it I would beat myself about it and they hadn't gone with me yet even though it was some of the best acting I've ever done but then they went with me! Q: What was the design process like for Delilah? A: Wanted her to have a dark debutante feel, someone who comes from an elevated background and is trying to reclaim it by lording over everyone around her, and there's something a little Tim Burtonesque about her. Whoever is doing her brows is doing a good job, all she needs to do is look at you with her eyebrows like that and that's it

Q: She's on Percy's list but what's Ripley's deal? A: She's made an enemy now of the Briarwoods as well as Percy, everybody hates her! The enemy of her Enemy is your enemy. It's the Loki Dilemma, she's fucked but she's waiting for her moments, she always tries to play the game and always takes it too far and becomes one of the piece in the end (about her changing sides)

*We watch the Cassandra's Betrayal Animatic* Q: Cassandra's betrayal, what was going through your mind on stream and how was it translated into the show? Taliesin: I was very loosey goosey with Percy's backstory, it was just one page and didn't figure out the whole gun thing.

Matt: Basically just "Briarwoods killed my parents and took over Whitestone and I barely escaped then I had a dream about a demon and got inspired to make the first gun" and then I just developed it from there

Taliesin: but then Matt took it and made it so much darker. I didn't know how to react when the betrayal happened, I was just in shock. Percy's like "everything is madness this makes no sense" - it was an emotional seesaw

Q: Acid trap room design? What goes into a good trap? A: The design was so involved with the mechanism of the trap, it was looked great and we made it much bigger so they can move around. In the original game there was 2 walls and they were just stuck there. A good trap or puzzle: I don't need to come up with a specific solution for the trap just like the players to figure it out and come up with creative solutions. Just gauge what a party is excited to do, and make sure it's not like a trap that has like 17 levels so all the players wanna kill each other by the end of the night.

Q: How did you record the under-acid voice stuff for Grog? A: (Travis just makes silly mouth noises idk lol)

Q: Grey, what did you know about Delilah before recording? A: Didn't give me too much information, because I wasn't officially cast yet I was a temporary addition. I was doing scratch and ended up getting in! I was doing scratch once and they wanted an Irish character, so I just changed my name and gave them a little Irish lilt cause they weren't gonna understand an Irish actor if they got one, and got it! (Matt: somewhere out there Liam O'Brien's eye is twitching as he listens to this)