#also it kind of sounds like kris might be in it??? EXCITED

[me-sploh-rada-imas]

so i wrote down everything kris said in the spoken part of the q&a bit of the discord live thing and shared it on the joblr discord, but @leopardom suggested i collate it all here as well!

will there be an mv?

yes, definitely, cannot say exactly when. but we have a very good idea for it and i can't say anything right now. a lot of our balkan fans will be very excited about it. we might drop it after the song gets an x amount of streams. maybe 500,000 or something like that. i am not the person who decides.

how long did it take you to record?

complex question. in hamburg we spent 3-4 days on it and recorded 70%. mostly everything except the vocals and some synths. the rest was around a month in ljubljana to finish it, then we mixed it for 2-3 weeks. (mod jokes about sharing there were eight versions in the openstage, kris is confused) more of trying to catch a feeling than a specific sound, that's why. it's hard to communicate that with a mixing engineer. usually it takes about that many versions before we're satisfied.

what was the thought process behind the cover art?

the photo was taken by mark pirc. the artwork seems random at this moment, i can't say much, but it will make a lot of sense.

why did you decide to remove the intro?

i've seen some people asking about this. there's the two-sided nature of playing music before it's officially released. we weren't satisfied with it on tour but it was presentable to be played live. when we got to hamburg we decided we didn't like the arrangement anymore, it wasn't in line with the vibe and spirit of the composition of the song. we toned it down and made it more sensitive because of the lyrics and mood of the song.

bojan said in warsaw that final version would have more instruments (confusion by kris that he was talking about bluza?)

i have no idea what he said, maybe he was referencing the fact that we played the pijano version of the song. but there are like at least maybe 3 or 4 layers of synthesisers and pianos so maybe he was thinking of that. all of those are credited to our "piano playing god jan". i did the guitars apart from the acoustic which is bojan's doing. nace and jure did their parts on drums and bass. the future live performances will be the new version.

who were your biggest influences getting to the final mixed version?

good question. i don't think we had one specific song in mind. we felt like it's a ex-yugoslavian evergreenish kind of song which we grew up listening to, we just wanted to keep that vibe while transitioning from an acoustic song to a complete arrangement. i think we succeeded. i know during the recording process žare said he would liken this song to a song by simple minds or talking heads or something like that, i'd have to look it up. also it kind of gives me the same feeling as when listening to a song by plavi orkestar called od rođendana do rođendana.

we saw bojan post a photo [of a notebook page] with stolica bluza while in london, what was the development process from that?

the first memory i have of the song is bojan coming into the living room and having the lyrics of the first verse and chorus already written, trying to figure out the chords. it was a well-defined song when i first heard it, i can't speak to his initial perception of the song, it came out of him very quickly, which is always a good sign. i think we all very quickly understood what the assignment was with this song so to speak. often we get a song where we want to arrange it and do it but have a lot of figuring out to do, but this song was very clear cut. it fell into place very quickly by our standards.

playing the unfinished song live was an experiment, did you like the process?

it's not the first time we've done it but it's the first time in a long time we've played unreleased songs. we did it before the first album, which was a whole different experience. it's been interesting to see it play out in this international surrounding. i think it did help, especially for šta bih ja, which immediately gained a very positive reception from the crowd and gave us a lot of confidence and direction. we knew we didn't have to change much for šta bih ja, while with bluza we kind of knew this wasn't really what we wanted from the song.

can we expect more songs similar to bluza?

uhhh... i'm sick if you can hear it. i think there will be like one more song comparable to bluza, also in serbian, a bit more slow paced, but the rest won't be that similar. there's only a limited amount of space for that type of song, we don't want to repeat ourselves. hopefully the album will sound like a unified body of work but there's still a lot of variation in it to satisfy our desire for, i don't know, experimenting with new sounds and song types and concepts.

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG TRANSLATION] "It seemed like an impossible dream to perform on Sziget's Main Stage" - Exclusive interview with Joker Out

Original article written by Peti for MusicDaily on 25.07.2024. English translation by IG gurdonanna, X brnbergeron and X zozzzzie, proofread by IG gboleyn123

Video interview available here:

Formed in 2016, Joker Out became the fan favourite band of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. The boys represented the neighbouring Slovenia with their hit 'Carpe Diem', and this year they are finally coming to our country for the first time. Namely to Sziget Festival, at which they say was one of their biggest dreams to perform - or rather, never in their wildest dreams they could imagine to ever get about an hour long time slot at the main stage of such a big festival to prove their dedication and talent.

If you ask them, they describe their musical style as 'shagadelic rock n'roll', which roughly translates to very sexy rock n'roll mixed with the extravagant style of the '80s. They've toured the old continent, and in the UK, even Lewis Capaldi was curious to see what kind of party they put on. One thing is for sure, with their coolness, they put Slovenia on the musical map of the world, as they proudly use folk music in their sound, sometimes in the ex-Yugoslavian style.

We sat down with the boys for a Zoom call before their performance at Sziget Festival, where Kris, Jan, Jure and Nace were present.

We asked them about their song 'Bluza', of course, but also about the new album, Sziget and their experiences at the Eurovision Song Contest. The guys already knew a few Hungarian words, which we will only reveal in the video version, while you can read the whole interview below - exclusive interview with Joker Out.

It's so nice to see you. How are you today?

We are good, right? I think we are well woken up right now, because usually this would be too early for us, but we've been doing interviews for the past hour and a half, so we are in a good mood right now.

You'll be playing your first show in Hungary in less than a month. Have you ever been to Hungary before?

Yeah, yeah. But I think we've only been to Budapest so far.

This summer, you'll be performing at Sziget, which is like one of the biggest festivals in Central Europe. How excited are you about the show, and what can your fans expect from it?

I think we are all very, very, very excited for it, because especially playing on the main stage has always been one of those unachievable dreams, like we never thought it will ever happen. So it's very surreal, that we'll play there, and so accordingly we are gonna give it our all onstage.

We'll have everything with us: screens, lights, special effects, to make it worthwhile for everyone, for those who already know us and those who don't yet.

And your fans are very curious if there will be any unreleased songs at the concert...

We haven't decided on the setlist yet.

We have so many released songs, so it would probably be a mistake not to play them. The thing is, we probably won't have a lot of time to play, so we have to prioritise... and those are definitely going to be the released ones.

And speaking of concerts, do you have any pre show rituals that you always do before concerts?

When the intro starts rolling... there is always an intro. When the intro comes on, and we hear it in our earpieces, we do this [demostrates] and it's like, unifying our energy before we go on stage.

Sziger Festival is also called "The Island of Freedom". So I'm curious, what does freedom means to you personally?

Freedom from alarm clocks. That is definitely one of the biggest freedoms I enjoy and do not take for granted in my life.

Freedom is to be able to freely express your opinions on any topic, and to walk around on the streets of your town without feeling danger, that anything might happen to you. That is a kind of freedom we take for granted, but maybe it is good to sometimes think that it's not the same for every person in the world.

And the freedom when we are creating music. We don't have labels on us that are pushing us. And being able to live from music. That's freedom to me. Being able to do what you want and to have the financial means to feel free and to enjoy this.

If you could change just one thing about the world, what would it be?

That there would be no jealous or greedy people in the world anymore.

And I would try to make the borders between countries disappear as much as possible.

No more music on Spotify, only on CDs and records. And stop spreading false information and only share what is objectively true. It's a hard one, but it's a good sentiment.

You just released your latest song 'Šta Bih Ja'. Can you tell us a bit about the background of the song? What inspired it, and what is the message you want to convey with it?

The background to the song is that we went to London for two months, in January and February, to create our new album, and this was the first song we composed. We actually put this song together very quickly in January, in maybe like the first or second session in our new rehearsal space there.

Musically it's very up-tempo, energetic and a bit ex-Yugoslavia inspired, but the lyrics are darker than the music itself.

So there's a bit of contrast. The message or the vibe of the song is kind of what we felt when we went to England. The feeling of being a stranger in a big city, not knowing many people, and knowing that someone you love is waiting for you somewhere else, but you can't reach them at that moment. That's pretty much what it's about.

How is your new album shaping up?

Slowly, but good. Very slowly. But very good.

What three words would you use to describe the album?

To describe the album in three words? Not released yet.

If I had to say one word, I'd use "cocktail". Because it will have different languages and musical styles. Love... of course. And an album full of hits. So the three words: cocktail, love and hits.

Your fans are particularly excited about one song, and that's 'Bluza'. Do you know when it will be officially released?

I just recorded the drums for the second time yesterday, so slowly, probably in a couple of weeks. I mean to finish it, not to release it. We haven't even finished it completely, but we'll probably release it before the album.

This is going to be the next single, so probably in late August or

September.

September, yeah. Hopefully. Don't take it for sure, but yeah, because

it's a song that we all really love, and we feel it's very special, so we want it to be perfect for release.

Now let's talk about Eurovision, a very famous competition with a very long history. So I wonder how you prepared for it emotionally?

I think there was not much emotional preparation. Everyone says that Eurovision is intense, and you have to prepare and stuff like that. But nobody, at least the first time they go to Eurovision, really understands what is meant by that. So you just go into it like 'yeah, I'm gonna do this', and then when things start happening you realise it's really intense, but by then you're already way too deep into it to start preparing. So what we did was more like surviving Eurovision, doing everything we could and then trying to process what happened.

It's much easier for us because we're a band. We can do it together and so relieve the pressure of interviews or performing on stage. So it's much easier than being a solo artist.

Do you have a favourite memory from your Eurovision journey?

Barcelona, Barcelona. The pre-parties. Those were awesome. Oh yeah, getting to the final... the semi-final too. The semi-final was great.

Finally, do you have any message for your Hungarian fans?

First of all, it's very nice to see that we have Hungarian fans, because although it's a neighbouring country to Slovenia, it's a very different country. We don't share many cultural aspects, especially in music, so we're happy that we have fans there to play for, and we hope that one day we can play our own concert in Budapest.

We promise to try to make that happen as soon as possible. See you there, and at Sziget!

[sepetajmikolikomehoces]

I seriously do not know how to make this coherent. I think if we just dive in not expecting it, it won't feel so disjointed.

This was one of the most magical weekends of my life, by far the best one this year so far and I think it will hold up pretty damn well in the long run. I am so, so happy that I didn't end up selling my Saturday ticket, despite it being an upper level seated ticket. I was afraid I'd feel very removed and that the view would be obscured, but it was all but.

Like that is pretty dang good.

Didn't queue for overly long either day, and met some really, really lovely people. If you feel like you at any point talked to me, hi, hello, I am so happy to have met you!!

Openers were really good, I enjoyed both Pilvet pilvet and JC Stewart, and I hope to hear more from both in the future.

Saturday's setlist was a bit of a shock, ngl. No ASTP? No NGVOT? No Barve?? On the other hand: my soul ascended during the Gola opening and I was very emotional during Vem da greš. It's been an anthem for me since last fall, and getting to experience it live, even from my seat, was just... yeah. A Lot. We'd gotten folded paper butterflies to hold up if they played Metulji and it was one of the most beautiful renditions I have heard of it, with Jan on the piano, Bojan singing and a sea of paper butterflies floating. I could be wrong, but Bojan seemed a bit taken by the whole thing in a positive way.

I had maybe had a feeling that Everybody's waiting would be a song that would come into its own right live and it definitely did. This weekend really made me fall even more in love with it, and though Bojan was clearly nervous about it, it was nice to see a bit of humour around the performance, with Jan having to help play the intro notes.

The two new songs they premiered on Saturday were such bangers, I have not been able to get them out of my head. Between Šta bih ja and Bluza, I am leaning more towards Bluza. There is something about it that gives me the same kind of emotional response as Vem da greš, but they are both going to be on heavy rotation, the sound is just... chef's kiss for both.

I know there had been a lot of hype and expectations re: Käärijä and the possibility of him doing a song with them. As much as it would have been fun, I'm actually happy he didn't, and simply got to enjoy the show as a spectator. Getting Häärijä as Hojan was more than enough, I think I pulled something laughing so hard.

We got the band out for a second encore (after Carpe Diem and Novi val), and they did Šta bih ja again, and it made my heart so fucking happy to see them so excited and bouncy.

For Sunday, I had early entrance, and let me tell you... when Bojan announced they were soundchecking ASTP... my soul left me, I was fucking LEVITATING. Getting NGVOT with Kris after that (following a very random rendition of Ring of Fire by Bojan) was just perfection. I also completely froze when Jure came over and talked to the girls in front of me. Like I fully just glitched, couldn't make myself speak, couldn't make myself take a picture, just stood there like the personification of bluescreening. That sunshiney fucker has too much power.

They switched up the setlist for Sunday and as sad as I was at losing out on Vem da greš up close, I felt more than happy about instead getting Barve oceana and Padam, as well as another new song. Setlist said it was called Schlager, Bojan said it might be named Behind Those Eyes OR Galaxy of Me, so it's going to be fun to see what they settle on finally. Either way, the song was a whole damn vibe, and I hope people going to the rest of the tour will get to enjoy both these and other new songs.

Padam had me up in my feels HARD. Again with Jan accompanying on the piano, it was just a really raw and intimate rendition that hit me right in my soul. I've had "Zdaj padam in padam, a me bo kdo ujel?" on my letterboard at home for the last two months, and hearing this line... ooft, my heart.

Having seen recordings of Novi val live is NOTHING compared to experiencing it live. It is one of the best songs out there and the chorus hits me every. single. time. There is something so sweet and gentle about the setup of it, Kris on guitar, Bojan singing and the rest of them just enjoying the moment, taking everything in.

I think the thing that I'll ultimately cherish the most is the easy atmosphere, the connection the band had with the audience, and the fact that I got to be there and that I got to do all of this with friends. This weekend has been a beacon for me since they announced it and since I got the tickets. Going to a JO gig has been on my bucketlist. I got to cross that off and have so much fun while doing it, and you can bet your fucking ass I will try to get tickets to Ruisrock this summer.

[rcmvncv]

HSHQTASK059: FAREWELL !

when did you join ? what made you join ? what do you remember from the plotlines that were current at the time ? where were you in life when you joined and where are you now ?

it was either a promo or an ad for ani's wc. either way the wc was a main reason ! i also wanted to use rosie so bad and she fit into the oranje-nassau look !!!! joce was so nice and after talking to her it was a no brainer kgjdbsgjkb

which characters have you written over the years ?

femke, inari, alexei, zahra/vita, marcello, henrique, asta (she lasted for a hot minute)

what is your favourite plotline that you've been part of ?

a plotline that kept me laughing was the last invasion and writing marcello's inner monologue. it was so much fun to write everything to have a double meaning depending on whether you knew the upcoming plot twist or not kgbsdjgb but i think annexei means the most to me, or at least the way it allowed me to shape alexei. alexei was the kind of character that surprised me every now and then. a special mention goes to the love triangle between samke and kris. i had never written and i have never written later, a cheating plot so i guess i'll drink to that akgbdsjg

what about other people's plotlines ?

i loved the lawn chair thing. it was so stupid and it inspired me a bit. i had struggled with muse and it sort of reminded me how fun rping was. but hmm... on a more serious note, it would have to be some event. possibly the monaco nye because the points game made it so wild and i loved every second of it. the threads were amazing and crazy ! one big plotline that i loved to read was the hungary-switzerland-italy thing. as a plot it wasn't the wildest, but i think we got some very interesting interactions out of it. i also love the milvente love child plotline. it became something HUGE. i gotta respect that. who is your favourite character from the ones you've played ? why ? what made you love them ? what made them so fun to write ?

if you could relive a plotline, which would it be ?

the middle of annexei maybe or the beginning of samke. during the middle of annexei, i think i learned to write a bit better and write about emotions. i realized how sad a man alexei was. it sorta broke my heart. samke for nostalgia. i can't believe how far they've come!

is there a plotline that you'd edit now if you could ?

hmmmmmm i think i'd try to write marcello more. i feel like the plot twist wasn't prepped properly. there was a lot of wasted potential.

what's a plotline you wish you would have been able to finish before closing or just write more of ?

i'm actually content. surprisingly. i think storywise i was ready for this. there wasn't much i could have given to femke or alexei. maybe i would have wanted one more thread with anya and alexei and have them either patch things up or at least reach some sort of a conclusion. aaaaand... one more huge group thread with the romanovs/russians, and one with oranje-nassaus. i really miss the olden days when we wrote the oranje-nassau siblings. they are my faves for their wholesomeness. the romanovs are precious for their complexity.

what is your favourite ooc memory ?

it honestly might be joining ? this sounds very cliche but the welcome i received was so warm. i've spent a lot of time chatting with joce, j, eve and julie. i have a hard time letting go of that part of hshq.

where can others find you if they want to get in touch ?

i think i'm retiring for good. i haven't logged on my other accounts in ages. this is it, i think :(

what else would you like to say ?

i hate goodbyes, i really do. like i said earlier, i have finished all of my stories so this feels like a good time to close the shutters. but it hurts. this really hurts because hshq and all of you are very dear to me and i wish i could continue laughing with you guys, get excited over threads, gasp at plot twists ! but you know what they say: it only hurts if it was good! and if there's something hshq was, it was GOOD!!!!! so insanely good!!!!!

[longsightmyth]

“Celeste was half-naked up against him in a hallway!” I accused, pointing a finger at her.

Her mouth popped open. “How did you know?”

“Has everyone been getting naked with Maxon?” Elise asked, horrified.

“We weren’t naked!” I shouted.

“Okay,” Kriss said, putting out her arms. “We need to clear this up. Who has done what with Maxon?”

Elise says she's kissed him three times. Kriss says she hasn't kissed him at all [on the lips] but he would if she let him.

“Well, I’ve kissed him plenty.” Celeste flipped her hair, deciding to be proud instead of embarrassed. “The best was in the hallway one night.” She eyed me. “We kept whispering about how exciting it was that we might get caught.”

Honestly I believe her. That's a big kink, and Maxon kept making out with her after noticing America eas there and left, so. Own it, Celeste. Everyone turns to America.

“I was Maxon’s first kiss, not Olivia. I didn’t want anyone to know. And we’ve had a few . . . more intimate moments, and one of those times Maxon’s shirt came off.”

I mean you're Maxon's first kiss as far as you know, but he also didn't tell you about kissing Elise or making out with Celeste, so what is the truth.

Anyway Kriss is like, okay now we all know where we stand, but frankly I would be more confused about my standing in Maxon's affections and his intentions than ever before if I was in the room with them in this moment.

Elise is like, uh. Where do we stand. And nobody has an answer, which checks out. America takes this moment to say that actually her moments with Maxon were deep and meaningful and she really cares about Maxon.

Celeste is like, excuse you, you think we don't?

(I really hope none of you actually really care about him but that cause was lost a long time ago, rip Bariel, you were a real one)

America says she knows Celeste doesn't give a shit. Celeste is like, excuse the fuck out of you.

“Celeste, it’s no secret that you want someone with power. I’m willing to bet you like Maxon well enough, but you’re not in love with him. You’re shooting for the crown.”

Without denying it, she turned on Elise.

Yeah? So? It's not like YOU were here for Maxon originally, god help me but I was about to call them the good old days.

Anyway Celeste says she hasn't seen any emotion from Elise (because of course Elise is the meek and retiring New Asian girl), and Elise says she is just reserved and she may not be head over heels but she could respect Maxon.

Please no, Elise, the man deserves no respect.

“In my family, all the marriages are arranged. I knew what was coming for me, and that’s all this is. I may nothing be head over heels for Maxon, but I respect him. Love can come later.”

Sympathetically, Kriss spoke. “That actually sounds kind of sad, Elise.”

Kris your family doesn't let you kiss until you're engaged, whereupon they expect to witness the first kiss. Let she who does not live in a creepy fundie cult wet dream cast the first fucking stone.

“It’s not. There are bigger things than love.”

We stared at Elise, her words echoing. I fought for my family out of love, and for Aspen, too. And now, though it scared me to think it, I was sure that all my actions where Maxon was concerned—even when they were hopelessly stupid—were driven by that feeling. Still, what if there was something more important here than that?

No, excuse me, I have to step back because I'm laughing too hard. AMERICA. Trying to pretend it isn't all about which boy she wants to bang. God the hilarity.

[tacittherapist]

Lalonde Live: Episode 3

Hello Paradox Space! I’m Rose Lalonde, and welcome to the third episode of Lalonde Live. On this show, we interview various Paradox Space denizens and ask them deep, provocative questions about various topics. By which I mean this is a convenient excuse to have people over and make conversation. Tonight’s guest: Kris! (@malleablepersonage)

[There’s a terrible honking cacophony from a nearby band of salamanders and newts. Their instruments have been replaced by kazoos.]

ROSE: How are you, Kris? What's going on lately on Earth K? KRIS: Doing quite well today, Rose! Thanks for having me. Well... The Superscientists are preparing the Earth K Battle Tournament, which is pretty exciting. Teams of five will compete in Gladiatorial Style combat for the opportunity to join the Superscientists the next time we spar. ROSE: My goodness, that sounds riveting. Rivets will be involved. Care to explain this Battle Tournament for us, Kris? KRIS: There might be rivets involved, yeah. Depends if anyone goes the mechanized armour route this year. The tournament is fairly simple - a double elimination style bracket, where teams of fighters compete in either combat games like Ultimate Capture The Flag, or direct combat... I'm not allowed to join which is a little frustrating but only fair. Last year was dominated by psionics users, but I expect to see a fair amount of variety this year. And before anyone gets TOO worried about it being barbaric, we have state of the art medical facilities for any injuries, dismemberments or accidental deaths. Good, healthy fun. ROSE: Interesting! So this tournament is organized by The Superscientists? Tell me a bit more about them. How many of them are there? When did their organization form, and when did they first start this Battle Tournament? KRIS: There's two of them. I think they believe themselves to be my archnemeses, but really they're just a couple of guys who are really into harnessing the laws of physics. I'd say about half of their efforts are trying to kill or harm me, and then the other half are like... Clean energy projects, or easier transportation, or like... Preventing societal collapse if I were to become incapacitated. Their stated mission is something like "Ensuring the prosperity of Earth K even if Kris dies or is killed by our beam attacks". I think they've been around for like... Ten years or so? Time is a little fake so it's hard to remember exactly. This is the third battle tournament and they're held annually. The first year was kind of a mess, because they hadn't adopted the team rules? So it was just like a hundred people fighting to be the last one standing, which... Entertaining, but not really cohesive. ROSE: Incredible, these Superscientists sound pragmatic, if nothing else. I must say, this level of competition might go far and above beyond our usual audience's faire. Here on the ship, the most competitive event seems to be the yearly Firefly Catching Contest. Tell me, how does it feel to have archnemeses that are also somehow philanthropists? Is your relationship more adversarial, or is it more like a friendly competition at the school bake-off? KRIS: It's a little adversarial. They show up at my house and fire beam weapons at me, and they wake me up in the middle of the night to do so. When we're not fighting, though, we'll go for coffees or I'll offer them notes on current experiments... Little bit of both, I guess. ROSE: Well that seems a bit unfair -- two of them versus one of you. Can't imagine you appreciate having your beauty sleep interrupted for yet another fruitless attempt on your life, either. And you still go out for coffee with them on the weekends? Hah, how must that conversation go? 'Hi Kris, sorry for trying to kill you earlier, how about that new coconut milk cold brew?' [There's a loud kazoo honk from the band that tears right through the tissue paper. Rose laughs and taps a stack of cards on her desk. If anyone glances down at them, they're all blank.] ROSE: Feel free to not answer, but what has the most successful attempt on your life been thus far, anyway? Some sort of... compound beam attack?

KRIS: it's not all bad. I know they have good intentions, for the most part, and it keeps me sharp. I want a cold brew now, though. I think the most successful they've been was the neutron bomb they dropped on my place? I mean, it didn't take, but my ears were ringing for a week and I was seeing sunspots for twice that. They do have some pretty good beams though.

ROSE: A neutron bomb, that's... dedicated. Those aren't exactly cheap to make, nor simple to deploy. Kris, your Lord of Doom title allows you to escape most of this wanton destruction, but have they no remorse for destroying your home again and again?

KRIS: I mean it doesn't take too much to rebuild, if they even manage to destroy it in the first place. It keeps them busy, and I think they figure if I really had a problem with it I'd either say something or keep them from it. Mostly just annoying, not really problematic.

ROSE: Truly a testament to your patience. Tell me, given the prize this year is getting to join their ranks, does it concern you at all that the number of Superscientists is growing?

KRIS: I mean, a little bit. Keep me busy three days out of the week instead of one kinda deal. But if it's like a mech or science team that wins, it'll be useful outside of the increased fighting power. I think it'll be a good tournament, at the very least, and I can deal with the fallout later if there is any.

ROSE: I take it these teams are some combination of humans and trolls, is that right?

KRIS: Mostly humans and trolls, yeah. We've got a Carapacian team participating this year, too, and there's rumors that the Lich who runs the library is putting together a team of Underlings, too. Gonna be a real tough tournament to call.

ROSE: What fun! I'm sure the competition will be fiercer than ever. Let's hope everyone keeps it clean and has a great time. ROSE: Now, I hope you don't mind if it gets a bit heavier here, but... I couldn't help but notice there aren't many other players from your session, Kris. Were you the only survivor? Or was it a solo session?

KRIS: No, I don't mind at all. It was a solo session, which I'm told is pretty ill advised. I am pretty sure I started playing specifically to spite a Serket, so it's not one of my prouder moments.

[He pauses briefly, letting out a sigh before continuing.]

KRIS: Played by myself, had a ton of help from the internet which is nice, and I mean... Things worked out okay. Bad choices abound, though.

ROSE: Truly inspiring. What would you say was the most challenging part of playing SBURB solo?

KRIS: The loneliness, probably. I can't actually remember how long I was in there, and it's possible that it was forever? The actual gameplay wasn't too bad, though. Mechanically challenging, overwhelming numbers in combat, but I figured it out pretty quick. I think the hardest part for me was not turning out to be like the Other Lord I've heard of? Which is to say I don't FEEL evil, but it's rough when people abhor you for that sort of thing without getting to know you.

ROSE: You know, typically it's Space players who feel the loneliness simply due to narrative-based metadrama. It's nice to know they're not figuratively alone out there.

[Another terrible kazoo honk sounds, before a horrible crunching sound. The camera pans to see one of the consorts eating their kazoo.]

ROSE: Say, do you have any tips or tricks for our aspiring solo players out there?

KRIS: Make some friends. Either to play with or to tell you what to do while you're playing. Realistically, though, probably just don't. But I guess if you're going to, you are always will have going to, so... Make your house into a spaceship, it'll help to have a home base you can move around in.

ROSE: Excellent advice for SBURB, and for everyday. Now then Kris, it s- oh, one moment. We're getting our first ever phone-in question.

[Rose shuffles her stack of blank cards and then spreads them out on the little desk she's seated at. She flips the row, revealing the card at the end to have writing on it. She picks it up and reads from it.]

ROSE: 'Kris, since you were your own server AND player, how many gates did you have to cross in order to reach Skaia? Also, can we see a picture of your house? It must be huge!'

KRIS: No gates. When I activated the cruxtruder, Earth got sucked into a black hole, and then I got to play planetary pool. I stopped actually playing maybe about halfway through? More focused on cheating my way out.

[Kris pulls up an image of his house on his phone and offers it forward. It looks like a well-appointed cottage, save for the saucer part atop it, as if ripped directly from the Enterprise]

ROSE: Very insightful! You heard it here first, playing SBURB solo eliminates the gates completely. A challenge in and of itself, if you're looking to trigger the apocalypse in a gamer way.

[Rose scoops her note cards back up into the stack and shuffles them again. They seem to disappear as she shuffles, until her hands are somehow empty.]

ROSE: Okay, now as we wrap this up... do you have anything you'd like to say for the folks at home? What's next for our favorite Lord of Doom? Besides the Battle Tournament, of course.

KRIS: I am not sure yet. I might go have a nap? As far as the folks at home... I dunno. Try not to break the universe for fun and profit- I'm sure you can figure out something else to do. But if you do decide reality needs some smashing, at least make sure it's cool?

ROSE: Lovely. That's all the time we have for now, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. A big round of applause for Kris, everyone!

[banannabethchase]

Take a Chance on Me Chapter 2: Honey, Honey - on AO3

~

The weekend of the wedding arrives, Wheeler reveals his other dad plot to his groomspeople, and Wheeler and Claudio make good use of the hotel bed.

~

There are mentions of LiveJournal in this chapter that may, if you are over the age of 30, make you feel old. Two chapters today since the first one is basically a repeat of a Friday post and I...cannot endure the way AO3 formats multi-chapter fics when you only have one chapter up, so I must fix it.

~

After over a year of planning, the weekend sneaks up on Wheeler like a particularly stressful panther. He’s put in extra hours at the gym to look good in his suit, rehearsed his vows to Lee, to Danny, to Mox, to everyone who’ll listen for more than thirty seconds.

“I just want to make sure it’s good,” he always prefaces with. “I get worried it’ll sound bad.”

Despite the reassurances, the hesitation is still there.

Danny’s the first one from out of town to arrive for the wedding weekend, bright eyed with a few hickeys all over his neck before the events even start.

“Who’d you bang?” Wheeler asks. “Also, hi.”

“Hey, dumbass,” Danny says, shining with excitement. “Just had a quick blowjob in the bathroom while I was waiting for you.”

Wheeler rolls his eyes. “Don’t pretend to be a stereotype. What actually happened?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, marriage boy.” He frowns as he gets a good look at Wheeler, who is manning his computer, his phone, and his dad’s iPad all at one. Danny pushes at his shoulder. “What’s with the face, Wheeler?”

“Waiting for Lee and Kris to answer the facetime,” he says. He holds up the computer, shows it to Danny.

“Is – what’s that?”

“LiveJournal,” Wheeler says. “Like this old blogging platform? I found it on the Way Back Machine.”

“Okay,” Danny says. He’s staring. He already knows something is up.

“Yo yo, Wheely, what’s up?” Lee’s face pops onto the screen.

“Hey, Lee,” Wheeler says. “I found something I want to share with you all. Since, you know, my groomspeople and all.”

“Hey guys!” Kris says, popping in. She’s got full face of intricate astronomy themed designs this time, which would look strange with her NASA badge around her neck on anyone else, but on her it just looks right. “What’s going on, Mr. Marriage?”

“I just called him something like that, too, and I want to make it clear we did not plan that,” Danny says firmly.

“Whatever,” Wheeler says. “Look, I may have done something stupid.”

“Yeah, tell me what else is new,” Lee says. He turns away from the phone to his computer, typing quickly. “Hold on, I gotta answer this – and done. What’d you do?”

Wheeler turns his phone so everyone can see the screen.

“Is that LiveJournal?” Kris asks. “My sister used to write fanfiction on there back in the day.”

“Yeah, uh, my dad used to post there, too.” Wheeler scrolls through the old blog. “It was kind of the only place he could talk about his transition and being a guy and all that, until he came out.” He looks between the three of them. “Guys, my dad was kind of...I don't know how to put this.”

Danny peers over, eyes widening. "I know how to put it," he says, looking far too pleased, "and I would say, affectionately, your dad was kind of a slut."

Lee barks out a laugh, big smile lighting up the screen. “I would pay good money to see you tell that to Mox.”

“I’d pay good money to get him to prove it,” Danny says with a leer.

Wheeler, like always, just pie faces him until he half falls over. “Okay, shut up. But I don’t know my other dad. Right?” They all nod, and Wheeler takes a deep breath. “I think I might have found him.”

The other three go silent for a second.

“Um,” Kris says, fidgeting with a keychain on her lanyard, “this might be one of those things you shouldn’t ask, but didn’t you not care about that?”

“No, you can ask,” Wheeler assures her. “I brought it up. And I don’t care who it is, not really.” He searches for the right words. “I just…” He pauses, trying to figure out how to say it. “I want him at my wedding. Or. Or maybe just to get an invite, you know.” He shrugs, curling in on himself, just a little. “It’s my wedding.”

Danny wraps an arm around Wheeler’s shoulders and Kris boops him through the screen. 

“Then we make it happen,” Lee decides. “What’s his name?”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Wheeler says, laughing a little. “Around 9 or so months before I was born, there’s three guys.”

“Slut alert,” Danny says with a grin.

“Yes, Danny, you already said that,” Wheeler says, scrolling up to the three posts in a row. “Look. Three in a row, three different guys.”

He reads the posts out loud, one after the other. Kris frowns in concentration, Danny makes wildly inappropriate commentary, and Lee, the one with connections, googles names and locations as they come up.

“Fuck,” Lee says, frowning. “I mean, I have some names, but everything’s behind a paywall.”

Wheeler nods. “I ran into that too. Another thing, they all happened so close together. There’s no guarantee which one would actually be the other dad.”

“You could have called them,” Kris suggests.

Wheeler grits his teeth. “That felt…wrong somehow? Like calling them would be too much or something.”

Danny frowns. “So you...sent them emails?”

Wheeler squirms in his seat. “Not exactly. I paid extra to use one of those White Pages programs.”

Danny narrows his eyes. “Wheels, what did you do?”

Wheeler squirms in his seat, feeling three sets of eyes keyed in on him. “I sent them wedding invites, around a month ago.”

Kris’ eyes widen. “And you’re just telling us now?!”

“I told Claudio, even before I sent them!” Wheeler defends. “He thought it was a good idea.”

“You could decide to join the circus and become the clown and Claudio would think it’s a good idea,” Lee says. “When do they show up?”

Wheeler grits his teeth. “They, uh. I think they’ll all be getting here tomorrow morning.” He pulls up his email. "They all sent their RSVPs and marked the 'Friday around noon' box."

“You think they'll get there all at the same time?” Kris asks. “That feels like a recipe for disaster."

Wheeler frowns. "I didn't think of that." He exhales, trying to keep his nerves under control. "But that's, like, way too much of a coincidence for them to get there exactly at noon, right?"

Nobody responds. Wheeler wishes they would.

Danny nudges Wheeler's arm out of the way to get to the computer and scrolls the posts, frowning. “Wheels, uh. There’s no pictures here.”

He nods. "Yeah."

“So,” and there’s that careful tone from Danny, when he’s about to say something rational that Wheeler doesn’t want to hear, “not to be a dick, but how the hell will you know who is who?”

“I’ll know my other dad when I see him,” Wheeler says, “or, like. At least be able to put a name to a face.” He frowns. “Probably. One of them is British so, like. At least that’ll help.”

“That’s the first post guy, right?” Kris asks. “He's fancy, and he was the guy your dad slept with first. My money’s on him.”

“My money’s on the one he flirted with by insulting him,” Danny says. “Best way to get laid.”

“Nah, it’s totally the interim gym manager,” Lee says. “He was the last on the list, and guys with a beard have the best dick in the game.”

“You don’t even like dick!” Danny yells.

“Yeah, but I got a great beard and great dick game,” Lee says with a grin.

Kris rolls her eyes. “Can we focus?” She adjusts her badge. “Lunch is almost over and I may not be the best with social stuff, but I’m pretty sure yelling about dick game is not work appropriate.”

“Yeah, good call, Stat,” Wheeler says. “Anyway. Danny’s here to help me figure this out. But I wanted to make sure you two know so if things get messy…” He trails off. “Well, you’ve got my back.”

“Course we do,” says Lee. Something on his watch beeps, and he presses the button to turn it off. “I gotta go. See you soon!”

They all say their goodbyes and hang up, and Danny claps Wheeler on the back. “You doing okay?”

“What? Yeah.” Wheeler frowns at his computer screen before he closes it, like the decades old posts will give him answers. “I’m good.” When he looks up, Danny’s got this little concerned crease in his forehead. “What’s wrong?”

Danny exhales slowly. “I don’t want you to get disappointed by this, is all,” he says quietly. “I mean, what if your dad only recorded three people in that time but there were others?”

Wheeler freezes. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”

“Did you ask him?”

“Who?”

Danny stares at him. “Your dad?” He stares harder. “Oh, you fucking idiot. You didn’t tell him about this.”

“I didn’t want him to freak out!”

Danny groans, scrubbing his hand over his face. “And Claudio didn’t talk you out of this batshit crazy plan. Of course he didn't.”

Wheeler shakes his head. “He said it was my call and that he’d support me with any idea.”

“Yeah, that tracks.” He reaches out a hand. “Come on, Wheely. Let’s go drop you off to your almost husband so I can scout the pickings here.”

Wheeler wrinkles his nose. “Please don’t fuck my dad’s friends.”

Danny’s grin is lecherous. “No promises.”

~

“So, your friends didn’t quite get it,” Claudio says, stroking Wheeler’s hair as they lay in bed. The hotel is comfortable, the smell of sea air and the taste of salt over everything, and Wheeler wishes he could stay here forever. “That’s okay."

"I guess I didn't expect them to totally understand,:" Wheeler says. "It's - I know it's weird."

Claudio sighs. "As long as they’ve got your back.”

“They do,” Wheeler says. “I know they do.” He plays with Claudio’s fingers where they rest on his chest. “I’m just wondering if it was a bad idea.”

Claudio shifts, catches Wheeler’s chin in his hands. “You’re doing what you need to do, Schatzi. Plus, it’s your wedding.”

“Our wedding,” Wheeler corrects. He grins. “Remember?”

“How could I forget? I’ve said the word ‘linens’ more time in the past few months than I have in the rest of my life.” Claudio flops back onto the bed. “If I have to hear Renee explain table settings one more time, I’m stealing you away to elope into Switzerland.”

“Still an option,” Wheeler says. He shifts so he’s leaning on Claudio’s chest. “Though I think my dad might shoot me if I leave him alone with his one night stands.”

Claudio laughs, eyes bright. “Yeah, I don’t think he’d forgive either of us.” He reaches up, brushes some floppy hair from Wheeler’s face. “I’m glad I ran into your dad’s gym that day.”

“I’m glad it was raining so you had to bang on the door.” Wheeler gets this swell in his heart, something that damned near renders him speechless, when he thinks of he day he saw Claudio the first time. Tall, dripping wet, frazzled as all hell. Seeking shelter from the storm as Wheeler was closing up for the night.

The rest, he supposes, is history. And the future.

Wheeler leans in, kisses Claudio with what he hopes is a promise of forever, and they fall into each other like so many times before this. Clothes scatter around the room in no time at all.

Claudio grins up at Wheeler. “You know,” he says, lips moving their way down Wheeler’s chest, his stomach, “this is the first time we’re having sex in a hotel room.”

“Mm, yeah,” Wheeler says as Claudio’s lips skip between his hips, avoiding where he wants them, “get on with it, baby.”

“So impatient,” Claudio says, but when his lips wrap around Wheeler’s cock, the whole world melts into the moment.

Wheeler finds himself more present than usual, focused on the feeling of Claudio’s tongue as it skates across the slit of his cock, the smell of the salt in the air, the sound of the waves in the distance. It feels like a fairytale, like a setting from someone else’s life, and Wheeler wants to bottle it.

“Claudio,” he whimpers, “can – can I – I want to fuck your mouth?” He glances down, watches Claudio's mouth stretch. "Fuck, please?"

Claudio tilts his head up, winking, and moves his arm from Wheeler’s hips. With reckless abandon, Wheeler pushes up into the wet heat of the man he gets to claim as his in a few days, in front of the world.

“Gonna –” Words fail him as the idea of keeping Claudio forever gets him close to the edge, but Claudio already knows his tells, already knows what it means. He dives down, Wheeler’s cock plunging down his throat, and Wheeler is coming hard and relentless and so, so good.

Claudio pulls away, pressing a kiss to Wheeler’s thighs as Wheeler comes down, stroking gently. “You’re always so pretty like that, Schatzi,” he says, voice sounding wrecked.

“Get up here,” Wheeler says, a little dazed but still focused.

He presses Claudio down to the bed, taking the time to lick the taste of himself off of Claudio’s tongue before sliding down his body to take his cock into his mouth. The sounds Claudio makes, the way he threads his fingertips into Wheeler’s hair, the way his name tumbles from Claudio’s lips like a prayer. It’s enough for Wheeler to promise him forever, even without everything else.

When Claudio comes, he babbles something in Swiss German, a sound that reminds Wheeler of home, and he crawls back up Claudio’s body to get wrapped in strong arms.

“This time Sunday night,” Claudio says, lips against Wheeler’s temple, “we’ll be married.”

[un0vian]

hey dude have u read the sss fanfic “if I lost on purpose, would you stop following me” it’s pretty funny and I think u might like it? :)

Ooo I haven’t read it yet, thanks for the rec!!! I’m definitely gonna check it out!

[goblinofbiscuits]

Hello again! Maybe a Dave x reader where maybe y/n is Kurt’s friend and Dave likes her??

Kurt's friend

A/n: sorry this took so long, I have been focusing on my music alot more and was trying to pass school for a good solid month, I have been working on my writing again and finishing request and all of that, so hope you like it more to come

Warning: smoking, invasion of personal space

You and kurt have been friends since the beginning of nirvana, you were a musician in the same scene, had the same believes, and tastes. You personality were quite different though. You were a little more outgoing You had your shy moments yea but doesn't everybody.

Kurt's was more shy and reserved, he did have his burst of energy moments though, especially on stage, many who observed you friendship thought you two were in a relationship you were quick too shut them down though you two were friends that's it that's all.

Kurt had called you asking if you want to play a solo on one of his songs, you were suprised one because kurt didn't collaborate too often and two, cause he wasn't one for solos either. But of course you excepted, who were you to turn down a opportunity like this, so next day you packed you guitar and headed to the studio

"Kurt!"

"Y/n, hi!"

You two hugged for a moment, Kurt's become a very busy man in the last couple years so you haven't had much time to hang out

"I missed you man how are you" you said taking in his new hair, no longer a dark brown color

" I've been doing good, touring us grueling as hell though" he said sitting down lighting a cig before turning to you with a worry look and quickly going to put it out.

"Kurt I smoke Tolman, you don't have to not smoke around, I promise you my asthma stops nothing"

"I know I know, I'm just trying to be thoughtful" he said relaxing after your statement

"Well thank you that's very sweet but you don't have too" you say before ruffling his hair and going to set down you guitar case and start tuning.

As soon as you start tuning the e string, a man with long brown hair walks in with two drumsticks in hand

"Sorry I'm late, traffick was shit" he said absent mindly

" it's all good man, hey let me introduce you two, this is y/n, y/n this is dave our drummer"

"Hi" you said brightly, happy to meet a new person

"Hi" dave replied with a love struck look that you didn't quite know what emotion he was feeling

" so it's only gonna be you two working in the studio, kris is visiting his girlfriend and the main guitar and vocals are already recorded, the only job left is the solo and the Drums behind the solo" the producer chimed in

So you finished tuning threw some ideas back and forth with kurt about what the solo should sound like and got to work.

You made your way to the booth and briefly just marked your solo to dave so he can come up with the beat and extras like fills and such. You did pick up on the fact that he might be a little off his game.

Kurt had mentioned dave before, talked about how he was kinda shy in his own personal way, you had also picked up on how he spoke a lot less than the rest of the members. So you just chalked it up to you being new and unfamiliar, qnd the blush on his cheeks from the heat considering it is summer.

You and Dave started playing and it was amazing, you didn't have to more than two takes. You were so excited about how well it went that as soon as you put down your guitar you rushed to hug dave as he was standing up from his kit.

"OH shit I'm so sorry I was just really excited about how well that went that I had seem to forget that person space exists" you said pulling away once common sense kicked in

"nah it alright, I was actually mean to ask you something?" He said kind of tense

" wass up?" You said messing with your hair a bit

" would you like to go on a date friday, I really wanna get to k-know you better" dave said really nervous at this point

"I would love that umm aha here we go this is my number call me" you said grabbed a piece of paper writing your number and giving it to the musician

You said your goodbyes and set up plans to hang out with kurt, you ste up a time you were gonna see dave on Friday and head to you car feeling on top of the world

[amaranthineoceans]

Everything Weird About Deltarune!

Spoiler Warning for Undertale and Both Chapters of Deltarune! Really! I Literally Go Through Everything I Can Remember About Them!

This is a long post so get comfortable. Also note that my brain doesn't process thoughts into words very well so some of these might not be worded in the best way. :)

Deltarune. The first teaser chapter was released on October 31, 2018, and it came out of nowhere. We've all gone through this, but I'll try and go through every single painstaking detail I can remember. Feel free to reblog and add/correct things.

The weirdness begins right off the bat. The title is an anagram of UNDERTALE. We all know Toby likes to use anagrams when he wants to indirectly tell us when things are related, so it's no surprise that when you go to download DELTARUNE, it warns you that the game is designed for people who have played UNDERTALE. You think, "Cool, so it's a sequel? Or maybe a prequel? A different perspective of UNDERTALE perhaps?" You were wrong; so terribly, terribly wrong! I'll elaborate on this later.

Before you download the application, the terms of service that you must agree to beforehand reads simply and plainly, "You accept everything that will happen from now on." This detail was kinda brushed off in the beginning, because, hey, it's Toby Fox. He does weird stuff all the time. But even in the first chapter, it's apparent that the concept of choice, or more accurately, the lack of it, is a very present theme in the game. I would like to remind you that Toby has announced that there will be one ending in the game. One. I'll elaborate on this later.

The program (as in, what the game is called in your files) is named SURVEY PROGRAM. Why not just call it Deltarune like it is when you download chapter two?

The game launches you, without a title screen, without any setting adjustment options, straight into a reference to the theme of the entire franchise: the lack of choice. A strange formless voice guides you through "making a vessel", with what we know now as a fountain in the background. You have the option to make some very disturbing choices in this character creator, such as making its favorite flavor "pain" or expressing your feelings about it with options such as "fear" and "disgust." You name your "creation," tell the formless voice your name (which is different from your vessel's name) and watch as said formless voice muses over your name at an agonizing pace. It thanks you for your time and tells you that your wonderful creation, (cue music cutout and background removal) will now be discarded. "No one can choose who they are in this world." The screen slowly turns white as the voice says, "Your... name... is..."

It gets weirder. The next scene appears from the whiteness and showcases Toriel calling "Kris" out of bed. Kris' area of the room is very bare in contrast to the other side, which we later discover is Asriel's.

It's Toriel. Why is Toriel here?

Kris is kind of an anagram of Frisk (the protagonist of UNDERTALE) but without the F. I highly doubt this is a coincidence.

Speaking with Noelle is the only reason you can proceed (see what i did there?) while finding a partner in the classroom. This means you can't go through the 1st chapter without knowing who she is. Is it because of the Snowgrave route?

Ralsei is just suspicious to me. There's no way he was just waiting in that castle his whole life alone without some mental toil. So either he's insane or he wasn't alone the whole time. What happened? Is it related to how he can close his eyes and see what Susie is going through when she's apart from the party? Was he just watching everything? Is he related to the formless voice?

Susie's icon is the only one without color in the Dark World.

Jevil's fight is more difficult than Sans'.

Your actions have little consequence in the first chapter. If you choose to go genocide, the only difference in the ending is being run out of the kingdom, and this doesn't carry over to the next chapter. Again, lack of choice, people.

If at the end of chapter one, you walk around town, it's mentioned (notably by Noelle) that you're usually not this talkative. If you go to the hospital and speak with the receptionist, they mention that you used to play the piano in the corner. If you decide to attempt to play the said piano, an out-of-key bash can be heard and the receptionist comments on how you used to play beautifully. If you try this in chapter two, the result is the same. All this is confirmation that Kris is acting noticeably weird.

When you leave the Dark World and walk around town, you can find Sans. He "pretends" to recognize you, and if you tell him you recognize him, he tells you it's funny, considering that you two have never met before. He winks. I'm pretty sure he knows that the player is there.

The mention of Papyrus in both games, but the purposeful lack of him. Like he's avoiding you.

If you go upstairs while inside Asgore's flower shop, there are flowers in glass cases resembling his SOUL collection in UNDERTALE. There's a red flower.

You can't enter the church.

The clock in the storage closet shows a different time than all the others in the school.

If you go all the way south in town and into the woods, the music stops and you come across a rusty, double door is in a hill covered in crass. It's locked. If you go this way in chapter two, however, you watch a cutscene where you and susie happen to find Monster Kid from UNDERTALE (or someone resembling them) and an owl kid in front of the door. The owl kid is pressuring Monster Kid to (presumably) break inside, telling them that they don't want to be a wimp like Kris. Does this imply that Kris is connected to this strange door somehow?

The ending. You know what I'm talking about.

Did Kris actually rip out the SOUL (I say "the" because I'm not entirely sure it's Kris') and knife because they wanted to eat the pie? Did they only eat the pie because Toriel caught them?

Why did they look at the player? Are they sick of being controlled? Is that why they freaked out after the Spamton fight? (later)

Anyway, now we're at chapter two.

DELTARUNE Chapter Two was released on September 17th, 2021. 17. Entry Number 17. Sound familiar?

Asriel's part of the room is different from the last chapter. I don't think this means anything sinister, but I think it means Kris notices different things about the room as the story progresses. My theory is that it will become more sinister in each chapter.

Ralsei getting super excited to see Susie and Kris after a day. As in he has separation anxiety and it breaks my heart. not anything suspicious but it makes me sad so it's on the list.

Kris and Susie's rooms. Ralsei REALLY doesn't want them to leave. Seriously get this boy a therapist. Or a stuffed animal. SOMETHING.

Kris having to gather everything from the storage closet so that people appear in the Dark World????? Why??????????????? They had to do the same thing for the computer lab too.

The golden door. I don't trust it.

How/why the heck did Noelle and Berdley go into the Computer Lab Dark World? I don't see either of them just walking into pulsing void doors without Susie.

Apparently the knight has been gone for a bit and can corrupt people's minds? The king in the first chapter doesn't seem like he can be redeemed but Queen just seems,,, not bad, but a little crazy. I wonder what happened.

Then again, name ONE person in this franchise without trauma.

Spamton.

Horror doesn't bother me. Spamton? Spamton bothers me.

SPAMTON. ENOUGH SAID.

A Kromer is a type of hat invented in the '70s. Nobody named Mike is associated with it, that I can find.

SPAMPTON. HOW DO I EVEN DESCRIBE IT.

HIS SONG IS THE ONLY ONE WITH WORDS.

The way he asks Kris is they want to be a heart on a chain their whole life. Like, dude, no wonder they were screaming after the fight.

WHERE DID THE YELLOW HEART COME FROM. YELLOW MEANS JUSTICE. WHY DOES JUSTICE APPLY.

Kris screaming after the fight and the player not being able to hear it. Don't you dare tell me that's just how the game is designed. There are sound effects characters make throughout the game. None that I can think of apply to Kris, apart from when they rip their soul out.

Ralsei brushing off the Spamton fight. Either that's his coping mechanism or he was trying to shut Susie and Kris up to protect them from... something. I'll touch on that in a minute.

According to Queen, DETERMINATION is a key factor in creating a fountain.

Also according to Queen, Kris, Noelle, and Susie all have DETERMINATION SOULS.

Ralsei freaking out about Berdley making a fountain implies that he may also have DETERMINATION. Why I'm bringing all this up will make sense soon.

How was Noelle able to cast Snowgrave... a spell that she, according to her, didn't know?

The Snowgrave route is so twisted.

You manipulate Noelle into killing Berdley and then, when you get back to the computer lab and investigate his corpse, the text box says that he doesn't seem to be awake. As if you're in denial?

Burgerpants recognizes you. Not Kris. As in the player.

The ending. I don't think I need to describe it. Kris is very methodical without the SOUL. (I say "the" because, again, I'm not 100% convinced it's theirs.) I'm saying this about how they left clues that someone broke into the This proves that they are NOT a mindless, vengeful husk.

HOW DID THEY MAKE THE FOUNTAIN WITHOUT THE SOUL INSIDE OF THEM. DID THEY FEED THE SOUL TO IT AFTERWARDS? IS THAT WHAT THAT WAS?

Another point I would like to make is my theory that Ralsei knows much more than he would have us believe. I might put this into a different post because I have yet to gather my points into a coherent bullet point list, so keep an eye out for that.

Anyway apart from Toriel and Susie being VERY heavy sleepers, I think I've gone through everything. I have a few theories.

1. Kris is possessed by the player and figured out that they could make a fountain from Queen and related to Spamton freaking out about freedom. They then decided to make a fountain going by the logic that "this would tick the player off." This is one of my top theories that assumes that the SOUL is theirs.

And 2. Kris is possessed by both the player and the knight. I think the formless voice at the very beginning of the game is the knight, and they somehow needed the player to possess someone with DETERMINATION. If so, then why Kris? We know from Queen that Noelle and Susie, and maybe even Berdley also have DETERMINATION. The most plausible thing I can think of is the fact that human souls are stronger than monster ones.

I do think that the popular theory (about the one that suggests that the Dark Word is nothing but a figment of a child's imagination, and the events that occur in said Dark World are simply children playing with toys) has been thoroughly dashed due to Berdley's murder in the genocide route of the second chapter. Unless he's not dead. Regardless, how the events (or lack thereof) that occur in the second chapter play through the next will be interesting, especially considering Toby's announcement about how there will be one ending to the game. So either Berdley isn't dead, or he will be.

Aaaand I think that's it! Sorry for the long post; let me know your thoughts and if I missed anything!

[castletown-cafe]

Castletown Café Episode 5: Java Cookies

This week on Castletown Cafe, we’re making something that was cut from the game: Java Cookies. I’m sure many of you in the fandom might be excited to see me include cut content, and we have all the dataminers out there to thank for their hard work at uncovering early concepts and all kinds of items and ideas that never made it in to the final game.

I love the concept of the Java Cookies. Not only are they a reference to JavaScript, they’re also described to be a delicious coffee and chocolate cookie, and words come out as you eat them. According to the game’s files, these wordy cookies would have healed Kris more than any other party member, due to their love of chocolate, which I can’t blame. Although, since they’re similar to CD Bagels, which play music when you feed them to your party members, I wonder if these Java Cookies were an early version of those. And given that these would have healed Kris more than anyone else, and adding the context of a certain…..alternate route….hm…..I wonder indeed.

But, never mind all that! If you ask me, a real-life Java Cookie sounds like your basic chocolate chip cookie with the addition of coffee flavor via instant espresso powder. Which sounds to me like a match made in [[HEAVEN, ARE YOU WATCHING?]]!

…..wait, what was that?

Anyways, it’s a shame these cookies never saw the light of day. But I can imagine these being served at the Color Café! I’m sure they’d go nicely with a cup of that Personalized Tea that the Addisons sell. At least we’ve got them available in our Castletown Café - complete with recipe.

It’s super simple: just your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe with the addition of espresso powder! Mine’s a small-batch recipe, but it still yields about two dozen cookies. Need more for a party? This recipe is easy to double!

JAVA COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp instant espresso powder (if you want it stronger, add a third teaspoon)

1 stick (aka 1/2 cup) butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate if you’d prefer sweeter)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and gather and measure your ingredients. In a bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.

Cream together your softened butter with the sugars. Once fully incorporated, add your egg and vanilla extract. Mix it together, and then…

Gradually combine your flour mixture in with your wet ingredients. Once your wet and dry ingredients are fully mixed together to form your cookie dough, add in your chocolate chips and fold them in until fully incorporated, so that every bite of those cookies have chocolatey goodness when baked.

Spoon drops of your cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, leaving enough space for your cookies to spread as they bake. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Have them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack for them to finish cooking - but absolutely enjoy one (or two) while they’re fresh! They’re best that way!

Store these cookies in an airtight container for a few days. They have a short shelf life, so eat ‘em quick! And with how good these are, they’re sure to disappear fast. In fact, I think Kris just polished off the last of them. I just hope they shared with their friends.

Wait….is it getting cold in here, or is it just me?

……

Uh-oh.

[waywardwrestlewritingwaif]

Naughty Boy

Here's the first one of the two fics I mentioned last night. First time writing for Ricky Starks and I have no idea why it's taken me this long.

Pairing: Ricky Starks x OFC

Word count: 1,439

Content advisory: graphic sexual content

It feels like there should be a trail of oil dripping from him as he walks, he’s so slick, so slippery, so… infuriating. And sure, he’s gorgeous, but my god does he know it. His arrogance should be enough to turn you off but it isn’t, especially because he’s been focusing all that ocean of charisma on you for weeks. It feels longer but it really isn’t. You know it feels longer because you’ve been relishing every second of it and because it’s been agony trying to hold yourself back from just jumping on him. 

The last few days, though, it’s been a new kind of agony, as you’ve realized he’s not quite as focused on you as you wanted to believe. You overheard Allie talking about how he kept texting her, and then Penelope’s response that he was also hitting on Kris. 

“The stuff he’s saying is filthy,” Allie whispered. “Can’t lie though, it’s kind of hot.”

How had you ever led yourself to believe that you were the only one in the picture? You’re not even the only one in the picture at work, obviously. There’s two more that you know about and who knows how many you haven’t. For all you know, he’s sexting and trading pictures with every woman in AEW. You wonder if he’s sending the same pictures to all of you just to be efficient. 

Now that you’re aware of what’s really happening, of course, you realize that you’ve had some pretty major blinders on. Lexi walks past him and the way his eyes trail after her pert ass isn’t anything close to subtle. And yeah, when Kris appears, he sort of elbows her to get her attention and he smiles. Yeah, it definitely feels like she might have gotten to do more than phone stuff.  

When he notices you, he winks and excuses himself from the other members of Team Taz. He gives you that alligator smile as he approaches and sits down next to you, close enough to you that you feel a little excited but far enough away that it wouldn’t be terribly suspicious to anyone who saw you. For instance, it wouldn’t be suspicious to the other women he’s working right now. 

“Hey gorgeous,” he hums, “you’re here early.”

“Hey Ricky,” you stammer, trying not to swoon at the whiff of his cologne. What is that? Sort of sandalwood and metal and sex appeal. “I wanted to make sure we had all the cameras blocked right.”

The other women he’s been hitting on, the ones you know about, are all wrestlers, like him. They all have beautiful, lean bodies that they work on religiously, just like he does. They all understand what it’s like to work as a professional wrestler, so they’ve had the same experiences that he’s had. You’re a production assistant for the tv shows he works on. What the hell do you know about dating a wrestler? Well, evidently you didn’t know that dating a wrestler meant sharing him with any number of other women. Not that he really said you were dating. He just kept telling you that he couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful you were, about how he wanted to know what you were like outside work. 

Later, after he’d gotten you comfortable talking with him, he started saying that he wanted to know about the sounds you’d make in bed, about how you liked to be touched, about your fantasies. You’re kind of amazed that he consistently remembers all yours, considering how many answers he probably has to keep filed away. Maybe he takes notes, so that he can have his sex talk ready for whatever woman he’s talking to. 

“You look sad about something,” he purrs. “Can I help?”

“No, I’m ok,” you tell him, aware that you sound and feel pretty far from ok. “I’m just… I don’t know… down on myself or something.”

“Why on earth would you be down on yourself? You’ve got everything going for you.”

“I guess I don’t feel like I have much.”

He makes what you can only assume is supposed to be a concerned face but he’s not very good at projecting real feelings. You give him a half-hearted smile. 

“I think I’m just a bit lonely or something.”

“Lonely? Well I can certainly help with that. Come with me for a minute.”

You kind of want to hold back but he gives you this sly smile that you feel in your bones and before you know it, you’re on your feet following him down the hall and eventually into his dressing room. He winks at you again as he closes and locks the door behind you. 

“Now how can I make you feel better?”

“You don’t have to do anything to make me feel better, Ricky. I’ll be fine on my own.”

He steps very close to you, leaning his head close to your neck. 

“Well, I want to do something to make you feel better.”

You can’t resist giving him a little smile and when he sees it, he gently pushes you up against the wall. 

“You know how much I’ve wanted to get you alone. All that talk only gets so far. You know I think about your body, that I can’t stop looking at you every time I see you.”

You bite your lip and are a little shocked when he bites it too, pulling it free and flicking his tongue just inside your mouth. 

“So maybe it’s time we do more than talk,” he hisses. 

“I don’t know. Do you think we should?”

“Oh, I definitely think we should.”

He kisses you aggressively, digging his fingers into your hips and nipping at your lips and tongue before working his way down your neck and over your collarbone. 

“Now let’s see if I can remember how to do this the way you like.”

You’re not sure what “this” means until you feel him drag your panties down and crouch in front of you. 

“Seriously? Here?”

“Why not?”

He presses his lips against your sex and draws his tongue lightly and ever so slowly over your folds. 

“You like to start slow, right?”

You nod, loving the feeling of him working over your pussy with his mouth, soft and insistent. Damn, he must have been taking notes to be doing this exactly the way you said you liked it. As nervous as you are about being heard, about being with him, about all of it, your body responds and you catch yourself moaning as you get more and more worked up. 

“That what you want?” he grins, lifting his head enough that you can see the gloss of your juices on his lips. 

“Uh-huh.”

“Does this make you feel a little better?”

You nod your head vigorously and he goes back at it, licking you and penetrating you with his tongue, flicking at your clit until you know you’re never going to be able to hold back. It’s hard to stifle the sounds you want to make but you just about manage to, pressing your lips together hard and grabbing hold of his hair as best you can as you thrust into him. 

It’s the most beautiful, satisfying release when you come that you can hardly process it. The bastard is awfully good at this and he knows. 

He stands, holding on to your hips to keep you steady and holds his perfect body against yours. You can feel the ripples of muscle underneath his thin shirt and you can’t resist the urge to run your hands up his arms. He presses himself close enough that you can feel the outline of his rigid cock against your thigh, and you can just imagine how good it would feel inside you. 

He smiles when he feels you grind yourself against him a little. 

“So you liked that?”

“Mm-hmm,” you sigh. You let your hand drift lower, running your fingers over the bulge in his pants, relishing how he’s so hard that you can feel the head, already excited enough that there’s a slight damp spot. “You know what else I like?”

He smiles, his eyes drifting to your hand as you rub him. “What else do you like?”

“A guy who doesn’t just keep me on a list with a dozen other women he’s fucking.”

You bump your arm into him hard enough that he springs back and march yourself to the door. As you unlock and open it, you glance over your shoulder so that you can get a good look at his shocked, confused, angry face. 

It feels great.

[krisdreaming]

More Than Enough

Series: Naruto: Shippuden

Pairing: Hyuga Neji x fem!reader

Summary: Neji isn’t used to feeling insecure, but when it comes to you, he just needs a little extra reassurance that he’s doing okay. (Also, first kiss? It’s not really explicitly stated, but I like to think that it is :3)

WC: 1.8k

A/N: My first Naruto writing! To say I’m nervous to post this would be an understatement. I understand that Naruto isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I promise it won’t be taking over the blog or anything. I’m just suffering from a little brainrot at the moment. I’ll tag everything I write for Naruto with “kris writes naruto” so feel free to block the tag if you like. And with that out of the way, let’s get on with it!

He feels it in the pit of his stomach. When Neji sees you leave the hokage’s office, it starts as a familiar upward swoop, warm and strange but not unwelcome. Then he sees Lee next to you, his arms moving animatedly as he speaks. He’s walking so closely to you that every once in a while, his hand brushes your arm. It’s too far away for Neji to make out Lee’s words, but the sound of your laughter carries to him on the breeze. The swoop takes a downturn and sours in his gut.

He’d been about to call out to you, but instead he watches silently. He’s so intent on the two of you that Tenten manages to catch him completely off guard. “She has a cute laugh, doesn’t she?”

“Hm?” He’s startled, but he doesn’t let it show as he turns to see Tenten beside him, a sly grin forming on her lips. 

“Your girlfriend,” Tenten says teasingly, nudging his arm with her elbow, “She has a pretty cute laugh. It’s okay to admit it, you know.”

“I know,” He says with a shrug. He’s still too distracted to come up with a sharper reply. Tenten rolls her eyes, and his gaze wanders back to you. His girlfriend. It’s only been official for a matter of weeks, and things really aren’t much different. He still trains and eats and sleeps, but the spaces in between are filled with you. Making time for you hasn’t been as difficult as he’d feared. Somehow, you just fit into his life so seamlessly.

Lee has finally caught sight of his teammates, pulling Neji out of this thoughts. “Tenten!” Lee shouts, his hands raised above his head in an exaggerated wave, “Neji!” When you see him, your face lights up, and you quicken your pace to cover the remaining space between you. You come to a stop at his side, hands clasped behind your back and an easy smile on your lips.

“How was your day?” You ask, and try as he might he can’t stop the small smile that’s forming.

“Fine,” He says, shifting ever so slightly closer to you, “It was nothing exciting or out of the ordinary.” You laugh softly at that. “What about yours? You got your mission assignment?” He notices a loose strand of hair tickling your cheek.

“Yup,” You nod, and he thinks about reaching out to tuck the piece of hair behind your ear, but he doesn’t move. “It’s C rank, so it should be pretty simple,” You shrug, “Especially considering the fact that I’ll have Lee with me,” You turn to his teammate, and now Neji understands why Lee has been practically vibrating behind you.

“Do not worry, Neji!” Lee presses a fist to his chest, “I will keep her safe for the duration of the journey!”

You roll your eyes, giving the well-meaning ninja a nudge with your elbow. “I don’t think I’ll need your protection, Lee,” You chuckle, and Neji lifts his chin a fraction, looking from you to Lee. You can take care of yourself. He’s well aware of that, and he knows Lee is, too. Lee is just, well, Lee. 

“It’s a short mission,” You turn to him now, “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, and we should be back by the end of the week. We’re just escorting a small merchant caravan to the Land of Tea. At this time of year, it should be an easy journey. Right, Lee?”

“Right!” Lee stands a little straighter, “Nothing to worry about at all, Neji.”

“I wasn’t worried,” He assures his teammate with a shake of his head, “The two of you are perfectly capable. The caravan will be in good hands.” That much he knows is true. You and Lee have always gotten along and worked together well, so it’s no surprise you’ve been assigned to the mission together. 

“Thank you, Neji!” Lee bows his head quickly, “Please, excuse me. I must get to my evening training session with Gai-sensei. Oh, Y/N!” He’s already begun to jog off, but he twists his body to look back at you, “I will see you tomorrow morning! Rest well!” With that, he’s off.

“That guy,” Tenten shakes her head with a sigh, “He certainly is a handful, isn’t he? Good luck on your mission,” She gives you a pointed look, “I know he’s just my teammate, but somehow I feel like I need to apologize for him.”

“No need, Tenten,” You dismiss the comment with a wave of your hand, “Lee’s not so bad. I think we’ll be just fine.”

“Well then, better you than me!” Tenten laughs, “I’ll see you two later, I’ve got to get home. Enjoy your evening!” With a teasing wink and a wave of her hand, she’s gone as well. Neji turns to you, your grin lit by the glow of the setting sun. Finally, he lifts his hand to tuck the stray strand of hair behind your ear. Ever so slightly, you lean into his touch.

“I suppose you want to get home?” He asks, swallowing back the hitch in his throat. He lets his hand fall back to his side now that your hair is back in place.

“Eventually,” You nod, “Let’s take the long way.” Just like that, the two of you fall into step, following the familiar route toward your house. It begins through the bustling streets of Konoha, passing by the shops and homes tucked in together as you walk side by side, the occasional brush of your arms the only point of contact between you. Even so, Neji enjoys the feel of you so close to him and the sound of your voice as you chatter on about the events of your day. Every so often he’ll offer a hum or a smile or a few words in response, but he’s mostly content just listening to you. 

The crowd begins to thin toward the edge of town, and the storefronts become more sparse. As the two of you pass by your favorite dumpling shop, he comes to a stop. “Do you want to go in?” He asks, and you make a thoughtful sound before shaking your head.

“No, not today. I’d rather just walk. Is that okay?” You tilt your chin up to look at him.

“Of course,” He nods quickly. He’d like nothing more. 

“It’s such a beautiful evening,” You continue, tucking your hand in the crook of his elbow and pulling him along toward the path along the edge of town. Following dutifully along, he hums in agreement. This path eventually winds through the woods, and Neji can’t count how many times you’ve walked it together. The quiet of the woods is one of your favorite places, and one where he can tell you feel more at ease. 

Beneath the trees, darkness is falling a little faster than in the open, and the air is cooler. He’s glad to be away from the crowded streets. Wordlessly, you slide your hand down his arm, and when your fingertips brush his palm he slides his fingers between yours.

He thinks back to Tenten’s comment earlier. She often likes to tease him about how reserved he is in showing his affection for you. He knows she doesn’t mean anything by it, but Neji wonders sometimes if it’s something you notice, as well. It’s not that he doesn’t want to hold your hand or put his arm around you while you’re in town. It’s just that showing the world something as private and intimate as his feelings for you feels strange to him. He’s far from embarrassed of you, and he hopes that you know that. 

The thought crosses his mind for the first time. Perhaps you’d be better suited to someone like Lee. Someone who would dote on you and shower you with affection. Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to shout his admiration for you to the world.

“Neji,” You give his hand a tug, slowing to a stop and turning to look at him, “You’re quiet. Is everything alright?” You give his fingers a gentle squeeze.

“I’m fine,” He says, offering you a small smile. The concern on your face makes him regret getting so lost in his own thoughts and worrying you. 

“You had this little frown on your face,” You say softly, letting go of his hand and reaching up to cup his cheek, “You know you can talk to me, right?”

He’s about to brush it off and keep walking, knowing you should get home and rest before tomorrow, but something earnest in your expression stops him. “Can I ask you something? Promise you’ll tell me the truth?” He asks quietly.

“Of course I will,” You nod. “Want to walk and talk?” You gesture to the path ahead, and he nods. He seeks out the comfort of your hand in his again before continuing. Somehow, it feels easier this way.

“I’ve just been thinking,” He begins, shooting a furtive glance your way, “Am I a good boyfriend for you? I know I don’t always have a lot to say, and I spend a lot of time training. Tenten says I don’t pay much attention to you even when we’re together. And... is it enough? Because-”

“Hey,” You interrupt him before he can slip his hand out of yours, coming to a stop again and holding on tighter, “It’s more than enough.” You’re actually smiling at him. “You’re the best boyfriend I could ask for, Neji. Honestly.” You shake your head, and he’s so frozen at your response that he lets you take both of his hands in yours. “I already know you’re serious, and reserved, and quiet, and I like all of those things about you.”

“You do?” He finds his voice only to be skeptical. You laugh softly.

“I do,” You insist. “Y’know, I don’t need you hanging onto me all the time. That’d actually be kind of weird,” You giggle, “I think every single moment with you is special. You’re sweet, and caring, and thoughtful. You make me feel like... like...” You trail off, suddenly ducking your chin nervously.

“It’s okay,” He murmurs, smile growing wider as he drops your hands to cup your face this time, tilting your chin back up with his fingertips so he can meet your gaze again. Something warm and tender is filling his middle, threatening to overflow.

“Happy,” You finish then, softly, “You make me feel happy.”

“You make me feel happy, too,” He whispers, leaning in so that his lips fit perfectly against yours, kissing you softly. “Very happy,” He adds as he pulls away. Even in the semi-darkness, your smile nearly takes his breath away. He’s grateful that you’re alone here, because it gives him the courage to kiss you again.

[ask-the-six-human-souls]

How do you feel about the ending of Chapter 2?

BELOW WILL BE SPOILERS FOR DELTARUNE CHAPTER 2! PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

So, YEAH I have a lot of feelings about the end of Chapter 2.

Though, a few things I thought were interesting while looking around Hometown:

1. If you go up to the second floor in the library, you can read a book that say it has "Photos of unfamiliar humans inside" but Kris closes the book immediately after that. All I have to say is...WHO ARE THE HUMANS?? THE HUMAN SOULS? FRISK AND CHARA?? I wanna know,,,Also Kris closed the book immediately, which probably indicates that they might not like humans.

2. The whole Asgore/Sans/Toriel conversation in the store was so awkward, but, when Asgore talks to Sans, he says something like "yeah I keep my flowers in jars and I talk to them" and...like...the flowers are the colors of the human souls...right?? So...in Undertale...could Asgore ALSO talk to the souls? Like hes saying he can talk to the flowers? Or...is he just, like, sad and crazy? I dunno.

3. Something very scary happened at the Bunker. I dont know what it could have been, but I want to know what the rumor was that MK and Snowy were talking about.

4. If you got into the hospital, and try to play the piano infront of Susie. Susie notes that, after she insults you for playing bad, Kris's expression is angry. Why are they angry? Could it be that we, or whoever is "controlling" them made their playing sound bad infront of Susie? They know how to play, since its hinted at a few times...so are they annoyed that we made them sound bad infront of their friend?

Or...are they just mad about Susie insulting them?

5. Napstablooks alarm is the best OST in the game.

ANYWAY with those out of the way, I can talk about the ending.

Which FREAKED me out...though I can't believe bathroom cabinets and couches are so effective when holding a human soul lol.

So, obviously, Kris opened a Dark Fountain...so, they, or their soulless self, is the Knight. Kind of ironic, since they wear a knights outfit in the Dark World.

What I think, is that the soul, that is thought to be either Chara/Frisk or us, the player, its actually Kris? Or, perhaps a mix of the player and Kris. And the Knight pulls out the soul so that they can create Dark Fountains without being stopped by Kris or us.

That, or, the soul is still us, and Kris doesn't want us to stop them from creating Dark Fountains, because creating these worlds...these adventures...its the only thing they can do to have friends...Ralsei, Lancer, Susie...

Without the Dark World, none of them would be their friend. If it wasn't for the Dark World, Susie wouldn't be friends with them. And she'd probably still bully them.

And that TV with the smiling face at the end...reminded me of Omega Flowey, kinda...

Idk, those are my thoughts and I guess "theories" about the ending.

I really enjoyed everything about Chapter 2 though!! It was so fun to play, even though things were a lot more difficult than Chapter 1...mostly the battles, but, lol I sucked at dodging in Undertale, too.

Overall, I loved it! And I'm excited for what comes next! Its gonna be interesting to see what a TV/Kris's House Dark World is like!

[justfrozenthings]

A Summer to Remember

Paring: Anna/Kristoff

Rating: T

Word: 5,335

Notes: My piece for the Volume 5 Summer Lovin’ Frozine. To find the complete zine visit the @frozines blog. Huge thank you to @punkpoemprose for putting together another wonderful zine!

Summary: Kristoff and Anna are ready to go on their annual summer vacation to the beach at Ahtohallan. Little does Anna know, Kristoff has a big surprise for her, well...more of a big question really.

Ao3

 “Kris!” Anna Arendelle was currently packing for her and her boyfriend’s annual summer vacation to Ahtohallan. It had become an annual thing they have been doing for the past five years since they started dating. It was the first place they went on vacation as a couple and they had fallen so in love with the charming little town that they had decided to visit every year. And while each trip was a little different, it consisted of at least three things that had remained the same: spending as much time as possible at the beach, going to their favorite diner Reindeer Circle as their special dinner, and staying at the charming The Crocus beachside hotel. Little did Anna know, however, that Kristoff had a surprise that would make this trip more than a little bit different.

 “Which dress do you think I should wear to the diner?” Anna hollered from their bedroom.

 Kristoff stopped what he was doing and sauntered over to their bedroom. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as he admired his girlfriend examining herself in the Rococo style mirror with the two dresses. One was the white sunflower shirtdress that he had gotten her for her twenty-third birthday, because at the time she had an obsession with the 50’s setting movie Grease. The other was a forest green sundress that had lace trimming, he has actually seen her wear this one before, when they went out to eat for his birthday, and he remembered how it hugged her in all the right places and showed off her scattering of freckles.

 “I don’t know. You decide. I’m not the one who will be wearing it,” Kristoff said.

 Anna pursed her lips. “I know, but I just want to look beautiful enough for you,” she pouted.

 A soft smile graced Kristoff’s lips and he walked over to where Anna stood, enveloping her in a loving embrace. He leaned his forehead head against hers causing a small hum to escape her delicate lips.

 “Anna, you always look beautiful. Whether you're wearing clothes or not.”

  Kristoff pushed back her bangs so that he could get a better look at her bluebell eyes, not unaware of the blush that began to tint her cheeks.

 Seeing this as a challenge he leaned down and whispered, “Especially when you’re not.”

 Anna’s blush went from a soft pink to a beat red. Successful with what he wanted to accomplish, Kristoff grinned with pride.

 “Kristoff!” Anna whined. “I’m being serious.”

 “So am I.”

 Anna let out a small huff before standing on her toes so she could entwine her hands behind his neck to give him a small peck on the lips.

 “You know, sometimes you can be very frustrating.”

 “But that’s why you love me.”

 “That, and so many other reasons,” Anna smiled.

 “Oh yeah?” he chuckled, bumping her nose with his. “And what would those be?”

 “Hmm?” Anna tapped her lips with her finger, which should still not be doing things to him.

 She put her arms behind her back and gave him a cheeky little grin.

 “Not telling.”

 “You little minx.”

 Anna picked up the dresses she had dropped on the floor during their embrace and held the sunflower one out in front of her.

 “You know,” she said, “I think I’ll wear this one. Besides, you gave this to me so that makes it special.”

 It was Kristoff’s turn to blush now. She giggled and gave him a peck on the cheek leaving him standing there dumbfounded as she went to put up the other dress.

 Later that night, after dinner they snuggled up on the couch watching reruns of The Office. Kristoff ran his fingers through Anna’s fiery hair, and eventually, she nodded off to sleep. He soon joined her in slumber, allowing his mind to drift to a very important tiny box he had hidden in the top shelf of his dresser.

 ***

 Kristoff had woken up from where he fell asleep on the couch last night, careful not to disrupt Anna as he got up to go make breakfast. He knew she liked to sleep in late and the last thing he needed was upsetting the snoring redhead. While Anna was the kindest person she had ever met, she was also scary as hell. Plus, they wouldn’t be leaving for Ahtohallan till a little after noon anyway, so they weren’t in any kind of rush.

 He raised his arms above his head and stretched, his shirt rising up a bit to reveal some of his toned stomach.

 Turning on the stove, he cracked a few eggs into the frying pan. He made them scrambled, just how Anna liked them. He added an assortment of other things as well like chives and cheese. Early on in their relationship, he had learned that Anna would eat just about anything as long as it had either two things: cheese or chocolate.

 The scent of the delicious concoction of eggs, bacon, and biscuits Kristoff whipped up swirled in the air causing Anna to stir in her sleep. She had tried with all her might to not give in to the delectable aroma, but eventually the mouse had fallen for the trap. Her button nose stuck up to get a better whiff. She looked like a little woodland creature in search of food.

 She followed the scent all the way into the kitchen to where Kristoff had begun serving everything on their plates.

 “You’re up early?” Kristoff teased, knowing very well that this was a rare occurrence.

 Anna gave him a small swat on the shoulder. “Oh shush you.” She opened the fridge door to grab the jelly for their biscuits, strawberry for her and grape for him, and set them on the little round table right outside the kitchen.

 “Your breakfast m’lady,” Kristoff said, putting on the best posh accent he could muster and giving a small bowl as he placed the dish in front of her.

 “Why thank you kind sir,” Anna replied back with a fancy accent of her own.

 “So,” Kristoff said, getting Anna to meet her eyes with his. “Are you excited for our trip?”

 Anna nodded before shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

 “I’m always excited, because it means I get to spend a whole day with you.”

 “You see me every day,” Kristoff chuckled, feeling light and happy in his chest. It was a feeling that only Anna was able to give him.

 “True, but with work keeping us on our feet and having completely different schedules from one another, we hardly ever get to spend quality time together.”

 Anna spread some strawberry jam on her biscuit. Some dripped down the side of her finger and when she licked it, Kristoff could do nothing but stare. It seemed as if with every move she took, made him lose his breath every time.

 He must have been staring for quite a while too because suddenly Anna was in his lap with her arms wound around his neck, snapping him out of his reverie. He glanced over to where she was previously sitting across from him and saw that her plate was empty.

 She put both her small hands on the side of his face and turned his head so that he was looking at her once again. And when she smashed her lips all he could taste was strawberry jam and Anna, and he would be perfectly fine if time froze in that moment and they stayed that way forever.

 “You know strawberry jam may be delicious, but kissing you is always so much sweeter,” Anna sighed.

 “You flatter me too much,” Kristoff grinned.

 Anna returned the smile before giving him a peck on the lips and leaving to go finish packing any last-minute things.

 Kristoff laughed to himself, wondering how he, who came from nothing, had been blessed with Anna, who came from everything.

 Anna was the heiress of her father’s manufacturing company, Arendelle Incorporated. Her family had also founded the town they lived in so saying she was popular was a little bit of an understatement. While  he was adopted into a family that couldn’t offer much except their love.

 Whenever they were out in public people would always whisper. Many believed they didn’t belong together due to their different backgrounds, that Anna was too good for him. But despite all the harsh words and criticism they have received, Anna refused to believe any of it. She said that it doesn’t matter that they come from two different worlds, because she loved him, and love is the strongest thing there is.

 With a smile, Kristoff got up from his seat and went into the kitchen to wash his dishes.

 ***

 “Krissss,” Anna groaned, “Are we there yet?”

 “We just left the apartment feisty,” he said laughing at his girlfriend’s impatience.

 It was a six-and-a-half-hour drive to Ahotohallan, and every single time, no matter how many times they did it, Anna never forgot to show her displeasure for the small road trip. It was rather adorable if Kristoff was being honest.

 “But I’m so bored.”

 “Turn on the radio.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it before rubbing little circles on it with his thumb. “Besides,…I like it when you sing.”

 With a blush, Anna pressed the radio button, flipping through the stations until she settled on one she liked.

 A few minutes later she had become lost in the music, singing and doing little dances in her seat as if there was nobody watching. Kristoff loved this view of her. He loved seeing her in her natural element, because it was so Anna and there was nothing better in the world than that. Her voice sounded like birds singing their morning songs when the first light of day appeared over the horizon. She had rolled her window down and her hair looked like a wildfire the way the wind blew through it, making it go in different directions. And Kristoff hoped that he would get to see her like this for the rest of eternity. If Anna accepted the question he had prepared, then that dream would become a reality.

 About halfway they had stopped at a burger place to grab some lunch then headed to the nearest gas station to fill up the tank. Anna, of course, couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go inside and grab a few chocolate bars for the road. Kristoff would never understand how someone so small could consume so much of the sweet treat. He was convinced that it wasn’t blood but chocolate sauce that flowed through her veins.

 He laughed when she came out holding twelve chocolate bars, saying that there were too many to choose from and that she didn’t want the other chocolate bars to feel bad for not choosing them so the only logical thing to do was to buy one of each. She also said that she would space them out during their trip, but he just shook his head and smiled knowing fully well that all twelve candy bars would not make it by the time they arrived at the hotel.

 ***

 Unfortunately, it took a little longer than usual to arrive at the hotel due to some heavy traffic. Neither of them minded though, because it just meant Anna had more time to sing at the top of her lungs and having little conversations that usually ended with them saying how much they loved one another.

 Anna hopped out of the car, “Finally! We’re here!” She hopped up and down on the tips of her toes and clapped her hands together. She looked like a little kid who was about to receive their ice cream cone. “Now we can finally relax and get our vacation started!” She squealed with excitement.

 “Don’t get too worked up just yet feistypants. I still have to check-in,” Kristoff chuckled as he made his way over to her with their bags.

     The Crocus may not have been five stars, but it was affordable and convenient because it was right on the beach. Kristoff and Anna had never been ones for fancy things anyway.

 Anna sat in the lobby admiring the coziness of it all while she waited for Kristoff to return with their room keys. Though she had been here many a time, the homey little hotel never failed to take her breath away.

 Speaking of things that took her breath away, Anna was getting a rather pleasant view of Kristoff’s butt from where he stood at the front desk. Those jeans were definitely doing his ass a lot of favors.

 The scene had put Anna in such a deep trance that she didn’t even notice that Kristoff had left and made his way over to her.

 “Room 209.”

 Anna shook her head, bringing herself back to reality. “Hm?”

 “Our room,” Kristoff said. “It’s 209.”

 “Oh! Um.Our room.209. Got it!” Anna stuttered hoping that he didn’t catch her ogling his butt a few minutes ago.

 “Are you okay?” Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

 Blood rushed up to her cheeks. “Never better!” She got up and grabbed the handle of her suitcase, staring there awkwardly as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and bit her lip. “Let’s head up shall we.”

 She rushed past Kristoff leaving him standing there dumbfounded as to what had just happened before he followed her towards the elevator.

 Anna threw herself on the bed sighing with contentment. “Finally!,” she exclaimed. “We can relax and begin our vacation.”

 Kristoff joined his girlfriend on the bed grinning at the image of her snuggled up into the pillow with her eyes peering at him. She looked like a kitten curled up in a blanket.

 Kristoff pressed her frame against his, his large arms swallowing her in a tight hug. “Just a whole week of just you, me, and spending quality time at one of our favorite places together.”

 Anna hummed in agreement. He kissed the top of her head and relished in her soft honeysuckle-scented hair.

 They stayed curled up with one another for hours it seemed, one never wanting to let the other go. The peacefulness of the moment, eventually bringing both to a deep slumber.

 It was around 5:00 when Kristoff woke up. He figured he would let Anna sleep in a little more before then went and grabbed some dinner.

 Carefully unwinding himself from Anna he silently walked over to his suitcase. Unzipping the front pocket he took out the tiny box containing the ring. It glimmered back at him and he looked over his shoulder to make sure Anna hadn’t woken up; if she had seen him the jig would be up.

 He ever so quietly put the box back in the small corner of his front bag pocket. He had decided to wake Anna up at 6:00, and for the time being he made himself a cup of tea and got out the chapter book he had currently been reading.

 When 6:00 rolled around Kristoff had woken Anna up just as he had planned. Anna quickly fixed her lion's mane that she always got after a good rest and looked up restaurants nearby on her phone to find a place to eat. Settling on an Italian place they headed out the door and down to the lobby.

 For dinner they shared a plain cheese pizza, Anna never cared much for toppings. They laughed over stories about moments shared together in their past, with dreams of creating more in the future. And every time Anna’s soft lips wrapped around the straw to take a sip of her Coke she would lick the droplets off her lips causing a pulse to surge through Kristoff’s body. The simple things that woman could do to him was uncanny.

 When the check came they had both blushed when the waitress deemed them “The Cutest Couple Ever.”

 Now, after a quick stroll through the park, they found themselves back in their bed tangled up in their sheets as they held one another.

 Anna absentmindedly twirled the hair on his chest with her index finger, breathing in his woodsy aroma and listening to the beating of his heart. She placed a soft kiss there, “I love it when we get to share moments like this,” she sighed. “Moments where we can let all our worries run free and sunker down into each other's embrace.”

 “Yeah. Me too.” Kristoff stroked his fingers through her unruly hair.

 “I was always alone when I was little, so I thought I’d never get to have anything like this. I never thought I’d feel as loved as I do now. But then you happened Kristoff Bjorgman. You crashed into my life and changed it for the better.” She propped herself up on her elbows and stared down at him. “I love you, and I will always love you forever and always.”

 Kristoff pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, tears welling in his from the sweet words that had just left Anna’s mouth. “I love you too. To the ends of the earth and back.”

 Wrapped up in each other’s love, all that could be heard that night were Anna’s soft snores and the heartbeats of two people who were madly in love.

 ***

 Anna woke up, her head still resting on Kristoff’s chest. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared at Kristoff’s sleeping form. He looked like an angel. A very tall blonde muscular angel.

 She stroked his hair and he looked up at her drowsily, cracking a lopsided grin.

 “Hey beautiful,” he said, bringing her fingers up to his lips for a kiss.

 “Hey yourself.” She smiled back at him and he was lost again.

 “So?,” he pulled her tighter to his chest. “What would you like to do today?”

 Anna tapped her pursed lips. “Hmm…how about we go to the beach? We had a long day of traveling yesterday so I would just kind of like to have a chill day. Know what I mean?”

 He pressed a line of kisses from her cheekbone down to the base of her neck and stayed there for a while. “Sounds perfect.”

 Anna went to her suitcase to pull out her swimsuit while Kristoff got ready in the bathroom (which didn’t take long at all). Kristoff, unlike Anna, was never really one who cared much about his looks. Of course he made sure he kept up with his hygiene, but for everyday wear, he usually rocked some sort of simple T-shirt and let his hair go wild and free. Oftentimes, people would give him nasty for how unkempt and long his hair was, but Anna liked it that way and to him, that was all that mattered.

 When he stepped out of the bathroom his girlfriend looked at him with hungry eyes and he almost had half a mind to strip them both down of any article of clothing and go back to being wrapped up in the sheets. It also didn’t help that Anna gave him a seductive wink when she passed him to go into the bathroom.

 It was Anna’s turn to walk out of the bathroom and Kristoff had given her the same look she gave him just a few moments ago.

 She wore a black 50’s style one-piece bathing suit with white polka dots. Her hair was put up in a messy bun, the little whispys that had escaped it framing her angelic face with perfection.

 His eyes were wild with lust as he looked at the goddess that was his girlfriend.

 Anna must have known that the sight of her was making him swoon too because she rubbed her pale star scattered freckled thighs together as she bit her lip peering up at him with shy yet mischievous eyes.

 “What do you think?”

 He lost all control over his body as he sauntered towards smashing his lips against hers.

 “I think,” he whispered into her and her butt a little squeeze, “that I must have the sexiest girlfriend on the planet.”

 “Kristoff!” She swatted his chest. “You can’t say things like that.” A blush rose to her cheeks which only made him more confident to tease her a bit more.

 “In fact, you're so sexy that I think we should skip going to the beach and hop right back in bed.” He nibbled behind her ear.

 “Besides,” he smirked, “I don’t want other guys drooling all over you.”

 “Ah, ah, ah,” Anna tsked, wagging her finger. “We only get to come here once a year, mister. We’re going to the beach.”

 “Fine,” he groaned. “But, don’t get mad at me if I have to fight someone for flirting with you.”

 Anna threw her head back and laughed. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. I highly doubt anybody is going to hit on me.You? Yes. People will for sure be wanting a piece of you. But me? No way in hell.”

 “You know I really wish you wouldn’t talk that way. You make it sound as if you're not attractive.”

 “That’s because I’m not.”

 She started to turn the door handle before Kristoff shoved her up against the wood and pressed his mouth over hers in a firm kiss.

 “Don’t,” Kristoff breathed across her lips, “you dare say that. You are the most beautiful being on the planet and I pity anyone who doesn’t agree with me.”

 Tears gleamed in Anna’s, making her blue orbs sparkle like the ocean right outside of their hotel. Words got caught in her throat and the only thing she could do was reply back with a kiss.

 ***

 Anna couldn’t believe it, but Kristoff had been right. They were lounging in their beach chairs when Anna decided to go grab them drinks from the bar. After placing her order and taking a seat at the countertop while she waited for them, a tall skinny man with eyes of emerald green and dark auburn hair with sideburns took a seat right next to her. He pulled his stool closer, and when Anna had tried moving away he would scoot right next to her again.

 Anna stood up to move down to another stool, but as she started to walk away a slender hand gently gripped her tiny wrist.

 Anna’s heart dropped as she slowly turned her head to look at the stranger with frightened eyes.

 “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable miss. It’s just that, when I see a woman as beautiful as you I can’t help but wanna introduce myself.”

 “That’s very flattering of you to say-I think-but I do have a boyfriend.” Anna made sure to elaborate on the word “boyfriend” to make it clear that she was unavailable and that hopefully the guy would leave her alone.

 “Well, that’s too bad.” He gave her a sweet sinister smile and fear washed over her.

 He still held her wrist and when she tried to break free he pulled her to him.

 “However,” he paused to kiss her hand. “I’m sure he won’t mind if I borrow you for a little while.”

 Anna looked over his shoulder with frantic eyes, hoping to find a bartender or some other beach guest who would notice her discomfort. Kristoff was on the other side of the bar and out of sight from her so she couldn’t rely on him either, though if he were to have seen the situation Anna had no doubt he would be here in a heartbeat.

 She would have to deal with the problem on her own.

 “Actually,” Anna furrowed her brow trying to put on the sternest look possible. “I don’t think he would. And quite frankly I wouldn’t appreciate it very much either. Now I already told you I am not interested so please respect my wishes and leave me alone,” she huffed.

 She pushed him away before he grabbed hold of her waist and pressed her body against his once more.

 “Come on darling, don't be that way. I promise to show you a good time.”

 Anna tried to wriggle from his grasp, but he was surprisingly strong for such a scrawny man.

 “No!,” she screamed, finally turning the heads of those around them. “Let me go! Leave me alone!”

 She twisted and turned but to no avail could she break free; that was until a fist had collided with her aggressor’s face.

 Screams and gasps spread throughout the beach like a tidal wave.

 Looking up to see her hero’s face, she cried a breath of relief to find Kristoff standing over the man’s limp body, seething with anger.

 Kristoff grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pressed him up against the countertop. “If I ever catch you near my girlfriend again you can be sure I’ll do more than just punch you.”

 Kristoff threw him back onto the ground standing tall and brooding, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched him skimper away like a scared dog.

 He turned to Anna, his face softening as he brought her into a warm hug.

 She rested her head against his shoulder, her small frame small trembling against his large one. He placed a kiss there as he gently caressed her hair.

 He pulled back to look at her, “You okay?”

 “I am now, thanks to you.” She smiled softly at him and he kissed her forehead.

 “Were you scared?”

 “Only a little, but I’m glad you came to my rescue.”

 He gave her one of his iconic sappy grins and it made her heart flutter.

 “Always.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Even though I know you could have totally kicked his ass.”

 “Damn right I could have.”

 Kristoff gave a whole-hearted laugh and Anna joined in, her giggles creating a symphony with his chuckles.

 The rest of the day was spent splashing each other in the salty waters of the ocean, buried each other in the sand, held a sandcastle contest-which Anna had won- and ended with them holding each other close as they watched the sunset beneath the horizon.

 When they arrived back at the room they hopped in the shower helping one another wash the salt out of their hair.

 Once more they were now tangled in the sheets of their love, drifting off to sleep with the sound of the other’s heartbeat.

 ***

 For the next few days, Anna and Kristoff spent their time going on hikes, shopping at their favorite local stores, visiting the town’s attractions, and so on.

 Now, on their last night here, Kristoff sat at the foot of their bed dressed in the best casual clothes he had, fumbling with the small box he held in his hands. Anna was still in the bathroom “making herself pretty,” as she called it even though he told her that she was beautiful just the way she was.

 Taking one last deep breath he put the ring in the little gift bag he bought to carry it in. Since he wasn’t wearing a suit he didn’t have a pocket to hide it in except for his jeans, but Anna would for sure be able to make out the outline of the box if he did that.

 “Whatcha got there?”

 Kristoff jumped at the sound of Anna’s voice behind him. He was so deep in thought that he hadn’t heard her come out of the bathroom and accidentally run into the dresser cursing, as she walked up to him.

 “Oh! Uh…it’s nothing!,” he stuttered.

 “Kristoff I love you I really do, but please don’t take this the wrong way when I say you have never been a very good liar.”

 Caving into Anna’s persistence he picked the bag off the ground and showed it to her. He had wanted to keep it a secret, but knew his nosy girlfriend wouldn’t stop pestering him until she got what she wanted.

 “I got you a gift. You know just a little something to show how much I love you.” He gave her a dopey smile before adding, “But, it’s for after dinner. So no peeking.”

 “Aww, Kristoff! That’s very sweet of you, but you don’t need to get me a gift to prove that you love me. I know that by heart.”

 Her words made his heart flutter and he took her hand rubbing small circles over before kidding each one of her fingers.

 “You ready?,” she said, breaking the silence.

 “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said more to himself than to her.

 Together they walked the quiet streets that guided them to their destination and before long they had arrived at a familiar little diner with a big retro light-up sign that said Reindeer Circle.

 They preferred their usuals, for Anna a large chocolate shake with extra whip cream and a plate of chicken fingers with curly fries, and for Kristoff a hamburger with regular fries-though he knew Anna would probably eat some of them-and a glass of water.

 They chatted and laughed as they enjoyed their meals, the time encroaching ever so closer for Kristoff to pop his big question.  And as the waitress had taken their dishes away, he decided that it was now or never.

 “Anna?”

 She had turned her attention away from the window and back to him. “Hm?,” she sighed dreamily, gently squeezing their clasped hands in the middle of the table.

 “I think it may be time for me to give you your present.”

 Interest piqued in her eyes and she lifted her head from where it rested in the palm of her hand.

 “Oh? Really?!” She clapped her hands together, unable to contain her excitement.

 “Um? Yeah…just let me,” he cleared his throat, “let me prepare myself right quick.”

 “Prepare yourself? Kristoff what are you-”

 She was cut off mid-sentence at the sight of Kristoff, down on one knee holding open a box with a ring, in front of her.

 “Anna Arendelle you are the most extraordinary person I ever had the pleasure of meeting. Before you, I thought my destiny was to just live on my own for the rest of my life. But, you came crashing into it with your infectious love and proved me wrong. They say everyone has an angel, and you are mine. Will make me that happiest man on earth, and marry me?”

 Tears formed in Anna’s eyes and she threw herself into Kristoff’s arms, peppering kisses all over his face.

 “Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!”

 Applause spread through the diner and Kristoff spun Anna in the air, kissing her deeply as he slid the ring in her finger.

 Anna admired it. In the middle was a stone of amber on a gold band with intricate petal designs that had made it look like a sunflower. It was so perfect and knowing that it was Kristoff who picked it out caused her heart to overflow with overwhelming love and desire for him.

 After the excitement had settled, they had already begun discussing wedding plans.

 “I think we should have it here, in Ahotohallan. On the beach,” Anna said with a smile.

 “Unless…you know…you would rather have it somewhere else. I just thought it would be cute to have it at a place we both loved, and I always dreamed of having a beach wedding since I was a little girl. I always thought it was romantic. But, if you don’t think it’s a good idea I totally understand! You know what, forget I said anything it’s stupid.”

 “Hey! Hey! Anna!,” he cradled her face in his calloused palms and brushed a thumb across her ivory freckled cheek. “I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”

 That night as Anna lay in the comfort of Kristoff’s arms, she stared at the ring glistening in the moonlight that shone through the window with visions of many more summer vacations to come.

[sugary-sheep]

An Analysis of How Deltarune Chapter 2′s Soundtrack Made Me Feel, Copied From My Discord Thread

Girl Next Door - a very good track for the beginning of the game. It serves to strongly establish noelle as a familiar, friendly character, since you might not have bothered learning too much about her in chapter which makes sense considering the later revealed fact that kris and noelle are chidlhood friendsIt doesn't have any strong hints of bittersweet, it's just a plain happy melody. You're just starting the game after all.

My Castle Town - this is where the first twinges of bittersweet/nostalgia come in.It's meant to bring back memories of your adventure three years ago, chapter 1. You're back "home," at least from the player's point of view, and the player is the one that all the music panders to. (which wouldn't be a thing to note if the game wasn't so meta). It isn't very strongly bittersweet though. It's a calming melody, meant to ease you into the world, and doesn't draw too much attention to itself. If Girl Next Door is a warm breeze, then My Castle Town is the pleasant chill of fall.

Queen - this song is a wacky and fun melody, borrowing both carnival rhythm and instrumentation. It has twinges of deeper emotion and all that but it's mainly just a funny clown theme for everyone's favorite clown: Queen.

A CYBER’S WORLD? - it starts off with the main melody outlined on a chiptune low-res synth, which drops into a rich collage of higher-res synths. It evokes emotions of adventure and energy and anticipation, while also being neutral enough to act as a backdrop for all the silly things you do in the cyber fields. it's a really damn good song. it doesn't tug on the heartstrings necessarily but it just. it's so nice to listen to.

A Simple Diversion - it’s. a simple diversion. chip tune rendition of the queen motif. it's good. nothing much to analyze.

Almost To The Guys , Cyber Battle , When I Get Happy I Dance Like This - (combined since basically the same instrumentation and the same motifs) god I fucking love these songs so much. they are so happy and sensitive and soft and warm. They are like the auditory version of a hug. idk what drugs toby fox put into these songs but it fucking. they fit these funny guys so perfectly. it's just a silly fun theme about these fun little dudes. it's energetic and happy and makes you wanna dance. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it's just. It solidifies that this is a Silly game with Silly things that happen and fun people that you can be friends with.

Cool Beat - too short to analyze.

When I Get Mad I Dance Like This - same as Cool Beat

Berdly’s Theme - bringing back the CLOWNS, this time without a harpsicord though. it's a synthesizer melody and emphasizes the silly gamer antagonism that berdly provides, while not painting him as a bad person. just an antagonist.

Smart Race - this is a particularly tense battle theme, playing off of the semi-betrayal and kind if indignation you feel towards berdly since like. He's a lightner like you! and he's working for queen! what the FRICK.

Faint Courage - an uplifting melody that (tries) to soothe the pain of getting a game over. The crunched nature of the synths is notable though, compared to other soothing songs on the soundtrack.

Welcome To The City - This is the first song that really starts to dip into the nostalgia. It's still an upbeat and adventurous melody, but like. Your friends just left you, and you're exploring the city alone. It has a lot of flourishes and flair that reminds you that you're in a cool exciting city, and slowly becomes more uplifting as it goes on, but still keeps the distinctly minor sound. (if it's in a major key shut up I don't care). It's also the theme for the time you spend with noelle, and like. in that context, it feels more like a friendly nostalgic melody than a bittersweet feeling. the familiarity of Girl Next Door is back, and honestly it borrows a lot of emotional cues from Girl Next Door. They are double edged and the feelings they evoke are very context sensitive. it can be a friendly warmth, or a wishing for better, older days. 

Mini Studio - a return of the resistance motif. noticably lower res synthesizers but like. your funny little dudes are here :] 

cool mixtape - Clown to the MAXIMUM. not in that it's the most carnival inspired but like. it's really bombastic and fun while also being built around queen's clowny and wacky motifs. The instrumentation also adds to the non-serious quality, making it sound like. well, a shittily recorded mixtape. Lol. It’s great.

Hey Every ! - This song evokes all the emotions of as corrupted seen on tv advertisements with a dash of clown. Very distinctly wacky upbeat song.

Spamton - This is where the creepy factor of spamton starts to kick in. It brings on the menacing atmosphere of being in this alleyway with an unstable puppet salesman who jumped out of the dumpster, however the silly vocals do take a LOT of the edge off the creepiness. Which is fitting for spamton. because he would more intimidating if his dialogue wasn't so ridiculous and silly, and if he wasn’t such a silly little guy.

Now's Your Chance to Be A - a very groovy and slightly menacing battle theme that makes you wanna get out of this situation, but it's not like. scary. it's just a little bit creepy. Like a haunted house. it's a really fun song though. the edge mostly serves to accentuate the wacky and fun qualities of the song, like salt enhancing the sweetness of a dessert.

Elegant Entrance - This has the same menacing/eerie quality as spamton’s battle theme, but much more genuine. it takes the formerly clowny harpsicord used with Queen’s themes, and makes it sound much more regal. It's not bittersweet though. just intimidating.

Bluebird of Misfortune - a VERY strongly minor sounding song, and while it's not a super deeply resonant sadness, it does minimize the wacky/funny factor.

Pandora Palace - the first majorly bombastic song. It's the buildup to the climax, and has a very unique blend of regal, groovy, and energetic sounds with a small sprinkle of bittersweet, mostly to build tension.

KEYGEN - really cool and gives an appropriate feeling for unlocking the door into the SECRET BOSS.

Acid Tunnel of Love - very relaxing, very happy melody. it almost dips into bittersweet at times, but is a solidly uplifting and soothing melody. It's a rest for the soul.

It's Pronounced "Rules" - Rgal in a way very different from Elegant Entrance and Pandora Palace. It's a kind of pretentious regalness, and is a big return to clowniness. Because Roulxs is a pretentious clown man.

Lost Girl - It’s. very bittersweet and nostalgic. It has solid uplifting moments to balance it out, but it's. not a super happy song. it's not a super sad one either. it's just. contemplative. emotional. it'd be a good song to cry to.

Ferris Wheel - A combination of Lost Girl and Girl Next Door, both in mood and actual motifs. It's got a lot more warmth than lost girl, and the chiptune main melody gives it the silliness it needs to take the edge off it’s bitersweetness. The upbeat and kinda whimsical harmonization helps with this too. It's a theme for two girls having an awkward but really nice and fun gay moment.

Attack of the Killer Queen  - oh man.oh MAN.Such a good song. It's absolutely bombastic, fulfilling all the promises of epic finality and regal power that have been set up throughout the mansion section. It makes queen feel like a POWERFUL and intimidating villain for honestly like. the first time in the game. It also has the emotional quality, the feeling of un-rightness, once again driven by berdly being an antagonist, but the context is stronger, since you had just had the emotional connection with him and bringing him to your side.

Giga Size - this song does not let down any of the pressure from killer queen. it has all the menacing strength that you would expect from it, and takes the regal intimidation up to another level. it's supposed to make you feel like you've lost, and as far as the player knows, they have. Also it's a lot longer than you would expect??? the soundtrack is honestly filled with really short songs. but Giga Size is one of the longer ones, despite the short amount of time it actually plays. I don't remember ever being in that portion of the cutscene long enough to hear the full thing. it's worth a listen to if you haven't already.

Powers Combined - the uplifting counterbalance to Giga Size. It gets you pumped, and it has an air of finality stronger than attack of the killer queen. This is the final push. you're on the precipice of victory.

Knock You Down - This theme continues everything from Powers combined. It's less bombastic than Attack of the Killer queen, though bviously it's still very energetic and cool. It's serious in a more uplifting sense, but also quite tense. there is a lot on the line. This is the do or die moment. It both hypes you up and calms you down, and evokes a very particular emotion, especially given the context. Really good for getting in the zone.

The Dark Truth - another song that, while more emotional, doesn't hit super deep. Imo it feels like it’s going for an "exaggerated" sense of danger and sadness. Which makes sense if it's meant to instill some doubt in ralsei's credibility. it's still a very serious song, but it feels like it's trying a little too hard. (not necessarily in a bad way)

Digital Roots - a very menacing song, and probably the most truly menacing song in the soundtrack. Sets the atmosphere for the basement perfectly.

Deal Gone Wrong - This is the climax of Digital Roots and the whole process of getting the secret boss. You're in real danger now. The puppet man wants to make a deal, and he wants your soul.

BIG SHOT - woooh boy. This song carries a lot of this menace, but brings in a ton of bombastic energy and a little bit of clown as well. it's like Now's Your Chance To Be A, but more intense. The vocal editing really adds so much to this track. The motifs are very well used, and it's just an incredibly fun and dramatic song. it's groovy! it's wacky! it's intimidating! It gets you pumped! it's a very good song

A Real Boy - This one is a really nice song. it's got a very nice uplifting quality and there's a very subtle and like. almost angelic sharp pad in the background of it that you wouldn't immediately notice adds a lot to the texture of it, combined with the crunched and low res main synth. the background of that scene fits it perfectly. Childishly painted sun and sky and all that. He’s a real boy now. You freed him :). He can escape his strings now :) 

dialtone - It’s like if you took one of the more emotional songs in the soundtrack and made it a little silly. Which makes sense. You're supposed to feel kinda bad for him, but he's still a weird wacky guy who just tried to kill you.

sans. - what do I need to say. it's sans's theme. it's wacky in an extremely chill way. it contrasts with basically all of deltarune's wacky characters, and that's perfectly cool. sans is a chill guy, especially in this game.

Chill Jailbreak Alarm To Study And Relax To - this one is just toby having fun. It's napstablook's theme with an alarm in the background. it's funny, it serves it's purpose as a gag. it's great.

You Can Always Come Home - this one has the nostalgic quality that I've been talking about very strongly, but the melody is just. It's so soothing and uplifting that you can't help but feel warm inside. it might be cold and snowing outside, but for now, you're home. you're with your family, you're sipping hot cocoa. Everything is right with the world, if only for a moment. You can always come home.

Until Next Time - another soothing melody, being a corrupted version of Don't Forget, and it evokes a lot of the same emotions, if a bit less strongly. It plays into the mystery of the ending, and would probably suit the snowgrave route pretty well. It's a good ending song in general though. It doesn't drown you in emotion. It lets you feel how you felt about what you just experienced.

Before the Story - really strong song. It's hard to fully analyze it given like. there isn't a lot of gameplay context. but it is a very dark and rich song. it's really good.

Berdly (Rejected Concept) - This song sucks ASS. it's like. pretentious. but also so cringe fail at the same.