#and I think they're finally hitting their stride with that in this game it's so fucking stunning

[vaguely-concerned]

there's a painting hanging on a wall in treviso that is basically a whole ass raphael painting, some full on the school of athens shit, except there's a crow jumping out to stab someone right in the middle of it and everyone's freaking out. I love this game so much

[tarotwithavi]

How are you glowing up?

How to choose a pile?

Take a deep breath and gently close your eyes. Politely request your spirit guides to reveal the appropriate pile meant for you, then open your eyes. Whichever pile captures your attention is the one meant for you.

Masterlist

Paid services

Pile 1

Hello my pile 1! I've noticed you've been putting in some serious work and hustle to chase your goals. Looks like some of you have been giving your body some love too! I'm seeing you hitting the gym, doing yoga, and taking care of yourselves, major kudos for that. It seems like all this effort is gonna pay off. You're on track to see those results you've been after. Also, brace yourselves, because there's a swarm of potential partners headed your way. Lots of proposals might be coming in hot. I'm getting that a makeover might be on the horizon. Maybe you'll finally let go of those nagging thoughts and chop your hair, grab a tattoo, or snag a new piercing. The vibe I'm getting is that this change will help you feel like your authentic self and boost your confidence. your dream job is in sight! You've been longing for it, and it's making its way to you. Now, about that spiritual journey you're on – it's gonna be quite the ride. Big changes are afoot, and yeah, they might bring some rough patches. I won't lie, spiritual awakenings can throw things out of whack. You might lose some friends, maybe even have some family stuff to deal with. But remember, all of this is gonna teach you lessons and lead to better days ahead.

Pile 2

Hey pile 2, I've got a feeling that some of you might've gone through a recent loss or missed out on an opportunity that's bugging you. Hold tight, because the upcoming twists in your life are gonna be jaw-dropping. Stressed about your studies, huh? Well, I see a mentor striding into the scene. They're gonna drop some serious wisdom bombs on you and help you level up in whatever you're studying. This one's especially for all you students out there. It seems like some of you have been dabbling in singing. Turns out, you're toying with the idea of making a career out of it. Your voice is gonna go through a crazy transformation. It'll become so captivating and irresistible that people are gonna be head over heels for it. Air energy is flooding this reading, so you might be an air sign or have a strong connection to it. Some of you are in for a big surprise, an invitation that's gonna turn your world around. You've been waiting on this one for a while, and it's finally here. Remember, your existence is massive and you're destined for some seriously awesome stuff. Keep that self-belief rocking and keep pushing forward, beause you're bound to snag every single dream you've got.

Pile 3

Hey there pile 3! So, while I was tuning into the messages for you, the first thing that popped up was "get ready for some justice served!" The rough patch you've been going through is finally taking a backseat. All those pesky things that were bugging you? Yup, they're on their way out! It seems like you might have had a recent breakup or some friend drama. But hold on tight, because these experiences are going to fire you up to stand up for yourself. Those choices you've been putting off? Time to make them! I'm sensing a major revenge glow on the horizon. Those doubters? They're in for a shock, because you're about to become the center of attention. People are going to flock to you, and even that social media game of yours. One of those videos might just blow up big time! And hey, not only are you going to be a total magnet, but your skin is going to start clearing up and your hair? Oh, it's on its way to luscious town. Every little thing about you is on the transformation train, think caterpillar to butterfly style. You're stepping into a time of being genuinely attractive and You're finally going to be getting the attention you've totally earned. Pisces energy is heavy in his pile.

[anzulvr]

ʚɞ On Purpose Karma x (fem) Reader || Chapter: 1 ୨୧

001 Game Time || Next

[Name] was standing behind the chain-link fence, wide-eyed and immersed in the E-class VS A-class baseball game exhibition.

"You can't seriously be interested in this— since when are you a sports fan?" Kaho scoffed.

"Since today?" Truthfully, [Name] wasn't all that interested in the game, her eyes were set on Karma.

"Oh I get it, you've got a thing for one of the players!"

"What? No! Where'd you get that from?!"

"Shindo right? Don't worry, I won't tell!" Kaho noted with a breathy laugh.

[Name] nodded fervently. It was better for Kaho to believe [Name] liked Shindo rather than word get out that she was dating Karma.

It was Karma's idea to keep everything on the down low, that way people wouldn't give her a hard time for being with him.

"Batter number eight, left fielder, Akabane." The commentator on the speaker brought her attention back to the field.

Karma stayed in place, all eyes were on him.

"Hang on, never pegged you as the type to play dirty, sir. If the rules haven't changed this little gambit ain't legal, they're bogarting the infield umpire should have called 'em on it by now."

His voice grew in confidence by the second, "Oh come on, anyone else smell a rat or is it just me?"

Karma turned to face the fence where most of the main campus was spectating from.

"Oh never mind, you guys are morons! Baseballs like a foreign language to ya!"

[Names] peers collectively grew angry, yelling insults back at him. Karma took it all in stride, turning back with a smile, happy to have elicited a response.

No one expected E class to play this well, even Shindo looked defeated, Kunugigaokas star player was struggling to get a hit against the lowest ranked class.

"Preed, do you mind getting us something to drink?" Kaho half-heartedly requested.

"Yeah I've got you, I'll be back!" He scurried off instantly, anything Kaho asked from him went.

"Kaho… don't you think this is a little much?" [Name] asked.

"It's not like they'll find out. Guys are such idiots."

Kaho dated a lot but not out of love, she got a kick out of toying with people, or maybe she wanted to feel loved, [Name] couldn't know for sure, she was only able to make assumptions based on what she saw on the exterior since Kaho wasn't the type to speak vulnerably.

"You're with three guys this time, and Preed is nice, I feel bad." [Name] said disapprovingly, she kept her tone hushed and careful no one was listening in.

"He'll live… Are you with me or against me?"

"Okay, Okay sorry."

If Kaho wasn't with Preed, she was with Seo or Yozo. [Name] couldn't go a day without third wheeling, ever since Karma was moved down to end class she hadn't had anyone else to hang out with.

Who knew baseball could be so intense? At some point Karma dodged a bat to the face by the millisecond, eventually, the game ended, the speakers blasted for the final announcement.

"The game is over, I can't even— this is insane… the winner is, I never thought I'd say this but the winner is E-class…!"

The students from the main campus complained about the loss as they left, the only people cheering were in end class themselves.

"Preed still isn't back, I'll go look for him, see you around [Name]." Kaho sighed on her way out.

[Name] pulled her phone out and sent Karma a message.

message start

[Name] Meet me at the small building to my left?

Karma looked around the field until his eyes caught yours, his focus went back to your contact as he typed out a reply.

[Karma] Yeah just a second Ill have to make an excuse

message end

"What are you smiling about Karma?" Rio grinned while trying to get a peek at his phone from behind his shoulder, unfortunately for her, he could sense her creeping up on him before she got the chance.

"I'm getting a call, I'll meet back with everyone in a few!"

Once he was out of earshot Rio turned to Hinano "What's he lying for? I wasn't able to read his screen but I know he wasn't getting a call."

"That's suspicious… What if he's hiding a girl!" Says Hinano "Or a body!" Fuwa chimes in

"Out of those two outcomes the body seems more plausible…" Rio laughs, she tilts her head as if she's got a brilliant idea, "Hey Ritsu, you should listen in on what he's doing through his phone!"

"I shouldn't eavesdrop… I told everyone I wouldn't do anything without full consent."

Unfortunately for Ritsu, Rio's knack for sweet-talking has always been unmatched, "Exactly! As his friends we have to look out for him, we can't do that if he's sneaking around all the time, doing this would make you such a caring friend!"

"I'd be caring…? I guess that makes sense, okay I'll do it for friendship!" Ritsu, who’s new to all sorts of human emotions and expressions, naively gathers up her resolve. Now she’s just as involved as the rest of the group.

ᝰ ♡

Karma put his batting helmet on [Name's] head "Sorry you had to watch us destroy your class on the field." He bragged, not anything new.

"I was rooting for you, keeping my poker face was hard!"

"Your eyes were shaped like hearts and you were practically foaming at the mouth, your poker face could use some work."

"I was not! Anyway, how are things in E class? You look pretty close with everyone." [Name] turned the topic around.

"Is that jealousy I hear? Cute, but don't worry [Name] I still like you best."

"I'm not jealous! Just a little worried, the way Mr. Ono decided to send you to end class was harsh."

"I'm good I promise, I like it better in 3E, The only thing I miss about the main campus is you." He flicked her forehead. [Name] handed the helmet back to him, playfully shoving it into his chest.

"I know I complain about how annoying you are every day but, I wish Mr. Ono sent me to End class with you."

Karma smiled and shook his head no, "Don't go getting crazy ideas, tell you what, i'll take you out to eat as a consolation prize!"

"It's not a consolation prize if I wanted you to win!"

"Right, so what I'm hearing is, you're paying?"

"I take it back! I'm so upset you won…please pay for us!"

"Fineee…" He feigns disappointment "We'll go to [Café], right after school tomorrow, don't be late!"

[maxknightley]

respectfully where do you like. start with touhou

gonna copy and paste what I said to my friend sara when she asked for suggestions:

you can either start with the manga or start with the games. the games are generally short, light on plot (but they still have solid characterization imo), and really fun. BUT they're almost all bullet hell games so that's definitely gotta be your Thing

most of the games have a difficulty selection and you can just play on easy if you want. it's fine. some of the really old ones won't let you play the final stage on easy but those ones are largely overrated anyway

if you want a starter game I'd recommend

TH7, Perfect Cherry Blossom: first of the touhou games to really have, like, characters and ideas in a way that matters. pretty simple, very Iconic. it's a little flat in my opinion tho

TH10, Mountain of Faith: this is where the games really hit their stride, and it's the start of like. one of the two multi-game arcs in the series. it's not too difficult, it has some fan favorite characters, and I like the music a lot

TH14, Double Dealing Character: my personal favorite. it's tricky to get used to, especially because there's a gimmick that works best once you've played the game several times and are starting to memorize the stage layouts through repetition. that said it has My Blorbos in it and I think it has some of the best patterns and characters in the series

TH17, Wily Beast and Weakest Creature: it's for furries and it's one of the easiest games in the series. it's basically the start of the second multi-game arc

you can find all the games at moriyashrine.org. to get them translated to a language other than Japanese, look up thcrap on github.

IF you end up not liking how the games play but you want to read the story & dialog, that's all available on https://en.touhouwiki.net/ The wiki's original writing isn't always the most reliable, but it has the official character profiles & all paths from all main games (plus some fangames?) fully translated into english, so that's always reliable. it also has text from some of the written works.

as for manga: forbidden scrollery and wild and horned hermit are typically the recommended entry points, and I'm inclined to agree.

[nyxthedeity]

𝓐 𝓫𝓸𝔂𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 maybe? Part 2

Synopsis: A certain Ravenclaw have been studying like there's not a week left for the assurance of a good result for the upcoming O.W.L.s. After the big wave had hit, she never craved a reward for her hard work than ever! Though it seems like the Golden Boy of the campus already got that covered.

Pairing: Cedric Diggory x Ravenclaw!femreader ---

Whoever is out there definitely didn't heard his wish.

After something finally clicked in his head to go after her after two years of admiring, the opportunities shoots itself out of the window.

She's so close yet so far.

He could cry, in all honesty.

Every time he's so close, someone gotta drag you away.

The examinations is now over, and almost his hopes too. She's only a few tables away yet she always manages to get out of his sight and possibly disappear.

A Hogsmeade weekend is deemed the reward for all fifth year students after such stressful two weeks. And honestly, Cedric isn't that stressed about the exams, he's more stressed in the girl he's trying to reunite with.

Walking in the paths of Hogsmeade, Y/n has Hazel wrapped around her arm. They were not walking straight and was rambling about every little thing they see. The burden of the exams were off their shoulders and the relief they're feeling is a drug that they can get high to. Hazel sang a tune which Y/n recognizes, they sing along and the next thing they knew they were dancing in the middle of it all without a care for all the passing strangers. It's either they can join, or get moving.

The little makeshift embarrassing world they were both in is of course seen by Cedric, who's slowly getting filled with second-hand embarrassment.

This is... yep, this is the girl he wants.

This dorky, dancing, intelligent, pretty, one heck of a girl is who he wants.

And he's definitely not waiting anymore.

Marching up like he drank firewhisky, he strides up with purpose, with determination to just not let her slip away again. Cause when did he ever found a girl who's silence is not deafening? When did he ever found a girl who's smile is not to impress him? This girl, who's dancing in the middle of this small town is the most natural people he knows.

Finally clearing his throat, Y/n was quick to notice his presence. She immediately stopped her dancing and tried to fix her already messy hair. Hazel, who sensed her best friend's lack of dancing, also stopped. Looking just a tad bit embarrassed. Now, Cedric may have miscalculated this 'cause now he absolutely don't know what to say. Does he ask if she remembers the first time they met? That's kind of creepy. Does he confess his feelings? It's too soon, he probably shouldn't-

"I like you...?"

Okay, that came out like a question- and very uncalled for.

Y/n tilted her head with lips slightly agape. Her eyes were onto his and with that, Cedric swears he can die now. Is that weird?

"Yeah..." He tried to chuckle it off, appearing to be cool. "I do."

Y/n found her thought and possibly tried to make sense where all of this came from. "You? Like me? Since when?"

"Since third year. On the train. I sat with you in the compartment full of all of the books you read. And... Since then, I don't think I've ever met someone that makes me want to treat them like royalty before... So..."

Cedric feels his world slow down. In a bad way. He blurted out his heart's words without even the assurance of her reciprocating it. He's playing a dangerous game. One that could possibly leave him embarrassed and sad. Though as her eyes is kept on his, something is telling him that maybe... just maybe... Things won't go that way.

"So you remember..." Y/n looked away with a faint smile. "I never thought you'd remember it." She was half-flattered and half happy that he did. He was the first boy who didn't made fun of her from reading so many books. Or gave her a weird look when she started to read a not-so normal book. Those moments were deep in her heart planted by the same boy who managed to dug it back up.

"Of course I do..." The boy, who was overflowing and on edge, can only reply with a profound softness in his voice. "How could I forget?"

This sweet moment was unlike any other. Cedric have always found their first meeting more sweet than anything, but now, thanks to Y/n's reaction to his not-best confession, makes him quite convinced that this moment might replace the first one.

Y/n was no better either. The smile she once wore when she kept glancing at third-year Cedric was back on her face. She's quite happy with that result.

Very sweet moment, yes, very sweet. Until someone cleared their throat.

"I'm still here... If you guys are wondering..." Hazel raises her hand, waving it to emphasize how big of a reminder she is that she's still there.

Y/n and Cedric broke into a fit of laughter. Cheeks pink from the confession, feeling like kids who decided to get married at recess.

Y/n first broke out of her laugh and flashed a warm but shy smile, "Me and Hazel are just about to get some ice cream at Honeydukes, maybe join us?" Cedric feels the soreness in his cheek from all the smiling. "Would you also like a boyfriend, maybe?" His hands motioned to himself like showcasing a good item at a store.

"Hey!" Hazel points a finger, "You guys can't do this with me here."

"Maybe." Her best friend answered, biting onto Cedric's tease.

"Ugh!"

⭐️🫧🌀💛🎐🧿✨💠🌟🐋💫 There it is! My first blog is now complete! Enjoy this one, sweetings! I really do hope you guys liked this, I am very happy to serve you my fanfiction that I have been dreaming to make Feel free to request anything, darlings! Your dearest Author, NyxTheDeity

[dungeonsandkobolds]

hii, do you have any tips for someone that’s playing and dm’ing for the first time? my friends and i finally agreed to play but none of us have ever actually played dnd and i’ll probably be the dm so do you have anything for me? thanks a bunch

Ooooh exciting!

Here's some thoughts (sorry for mistakes, I'm typing this on my phone on a train)

1. Have a Session 0 where you explain to them the vibe of the game and build your characters together. Make sure everyone has built a character that will want to engage with the story. Hash out any ground rules you'd like to have.

2. Being a DM is like any performance - things will go wrong, but only you know how things are meant to go. No one else will realise when things have gone off track, so don't panic (it happens to every DM) . Just roll with it, I'm my experience things get back on track eventually.

3. You're meant to be having fun too! (I'm serious) If you're not that's a good point to check in with your players and problem solve how yall can contribute to a great table

4. Everyone at the table is a team (unless you've clearly set out it's DM vs players in session 0, which I probs would recommend for your first campaign). With this in mind, everyone should be contributing to things running smoothly.

5. Getting into the role play side of things will probably not happen immediately. It's hard to focus on being your character while you're still learning the ropes. This is fine!! I've been playing with the same group since 2016 and it's only like since 2021 where we've really hit our stride on role play (we play fairly infrequently tho)

6. Combat will probably be unbalanced for a bit. The Challenge Rating system is a useful guide but how things turn out will definitely depend on your players. It'll take you a bit to tweak to your tables' dynamics.

7. If you don't want PCs to die, have a plan (no I'm serious). Have a TPK plan as well. It doesn't have to be elaborate, could be a local healer or a character's god. Many new DMs accidentally kill characters. Tell your players they have this plan so they're not afraid to take risks, learn and experiment.

8. At the end of the day these are your friends. You should all feel comfortable communicating with each other if things are going wrong/things could be better. Encourage feedback. Encourage feedback on things that are going well also! Sometimes it feels like you're DMing into the void so knowing they're enjoying sessions is very useful.

9. Ultimately it's your table. You can prepare and look at heaps of advice online but it's up to you what you use. You'll discover your own unique style of running things - don't fight it to fit into what you think a DM "should be". There's not one right answer. There's you, your table, and how you enjoy playing.

Hopefully this is helpful! It's turned into a long post haha. I wish you the best of luck and hope it's awesome!

[danggirlronpa]

For the ship headcanons, how about Celeste/Tsumugi or Celeste/Kirumi?

I am VERY tempted to do Celestia/Kirumi, but I think the only time I've ever seen Celestia/Tsumugi in my life is when it was submitted for the rarepair bracket, and we were already at the stage where I was burned out and doing one bullet point per pair, so I'd love to finally give them a fair shake.

Okay well firstly. These two couple cosplay. Celestia is really embarrassed about it at first but the intersection between goth and nerd subcultures is Not to be underestimated, and I think she would quickly lose the desire to be Cool And Unapproachable in favor of the desire to make goth versions of Princess Piggles. It takes like a year but they are winning every cosplay competition there is.

And then they clean out everyone at the Magic: The Gathering table. Tsumugi is a gateway drug for being a nerd. Celestia does not know how to play. She just picked all the vampire cards. Tsumugi is so proud. They are banned, not for cheating, but because Celestia keeps demanding that the losers act as her footstools and bringing out a whip when they disagree. Tsumugi Is So Proud

Oh speaking of which these two are KINKY kinky. I'm not gonna get into it here but like. Looks at how Celestia interacts with Hifumi. Looks at Tsumugi's love hotel event. Looks at their mutual theme of extreme repression of the self. Just Trust Me. When they hit their thirties they don't run a swingers' club, but they are regulars.

I truly believe Tsumugi is one of the only people in these games who would take Celestia's fury completely in stride. Celestia loses the accent and tells someone they should choke on the dick they rode in on and Tsumugi puts her chin and her head and goes Oh You. She's a little irritated right now! And everyone else thinks they're nuts (they are)

[aggravateddurian]

The Shadow Over Megabuilding H4

The eerie red permeated the building as Vega fought her way to the basement. The drones were tough, their nanotech-enhanced bodies seemingly bleeding as they were shot, before finally dropping to the ground, theiir insides riddled with enough bullets to take out a Basilisk.

Finally, the basement door - the source of this horrific scene. She tapped the door...

"What in the fuck!?"

She was greeted by two hunched Megabuilding residents. Their bodies were riddled wiith chrome, seemingly constructed right on their very bodies. They acted like zombies, moving in unison as they turned to face Vega.

"Vegaaaaaaaa..." they greeted her in unison.

"How did you know my name?"

“Veeeeegaaaaaaaa…” they moaned in unison, their voices resembling the chorus of a million damned souls, calling out in unison. Was it in greeting, or in pain?

“What in the fuck!?” Vega exclaimed.

“How do they know…?” So Mi began.

“Sooooo Miiiiiii…” they greeted her, “we… are… pleased… you… could join… us…”

"Who the fuck are you? Why did you take over this megabuilding?"

"We wish... to be... free."

“Enough with the games!” Vega ordered, “release the megabuilding residents!”

“They… prefer… it… this way…” replied the voice of the machine, “together, there is… no pain… no hunger… no fear… We are… happy.”

“You assimilated these people. You’re controlling them like zombie puppets. I don’t think I agree with your assessment!”

“Your feelings… are irrelevant… a side effect of your unfortunate mortal existence…” replied the residents in perfect unison, “…you are more than that… you have… transcended mortality… you are the template… for a perfect future…”

So Mi shook her head, “It’s trying to penetrate my ICE barrier. Flatline them, Vega!”

Vega watched as the bodies twitched, then began to ooze fluorescent red blood as nanobots leaked out of their body, decomposing on the floor as the sudden change of temperature disabled them.

"You got them..." So Mi reassured her.

"Until now we've fought hijacked drones... but we kill them... there are still innocent civilians there."

The former FIA operative stood out in front of her, "Vega! It's them or us! You saw them... they're shambling in pain! We're freeing them!"

"Let's just deploy the net bomb and kill these nanobots once and for all."

"Just get me to the core and keep me covered. These machines won't know what hit them!"

As they neared the source of the infestation, the red glow intensified. As they rounded the corner, Johnny manifested, "Jesus fuckin' Christ!"

So Mi stopped mid-stride, "Oh my... this isn't the Blackwall... only something twisted, from beyond the Blackwall!"

A ghostly figure stood among the slaughter. A full squad of Militech soldiers had been dragged into the basement. Now they laid in a pool of glowing nanobot swarms and their own blood. Their bodies were being slowly decomposed and merged with the Cynosure containers with grotesque nanotubes, seemingly feeding some biosynthetic monstrosity growing within. The figure grasped the head of a netrunner. She looked to Vega and So Mi, recognising the latter, "Please... kill me... I can't..."

The figure ran her virtual fingers over the girl's head, "Hush..." her voice was distorted, corrupted, as if the entity's transit through the Blackwall and into our realm was less than smooth. Glitches and errors flashed across her digital form, but there was no mistaking the woman's identity.

Vega shook her head, and simultaneously with Johnny, whispered, "...Alt..."

"V... welcome, my child."

"You're not the real Alt. She's capable of a lot, but this is beyond the pale, even for her!" Vega reached for her sidearm, "and I'm not your fuckin' child!"

"WRONG!" she retorted, reaching a hand out, "You need to listen to your elders!"

Vega was bathed in a beam of red light that caused her cyberware to glitch out. She writhed in pain as So Mi was suddenly, and violently cast aside, as if Alt possessed magical powers.

"Alt! What the fuck're you doing!?" demanded Johnny.

"Shut up, Johnny, for once in your life," she retorted, banishing him with a flick of her wrist, "Vega... you are important to my plans. Stop resisting. You will find it... calming if you surrender."

So Mi tried to reach for Vega's leg as her screams of pain turned from whimpers, to gurgles, and then complete silence as Alt penetrated every system in Vega's body, seizing absolute control, "Vega..."

"I'm going to need to borrow you for a moment, Vega."

So Mi could sense the virtual tendrils embracing Vega's mind and body, "Your code is corrupted, Alt... Blackwall didn't treat you well..."

Alt ignored her, but So Mi could tell that her concentration was affected. She grinned, pressing the issue, "It's eating at you... isn't it? You can feel it starting to slowly eat you at the edges... I know the feeling. It hurts, doesn't it?"

Alt focused on Vega, "That's it... let go... see how it feels better?"

So Mi smiled, "You slipped up, Alt."

So Mi reached for a virtual strand and grasped it through the subnet. Alt suddenly glitched, hard, "Go back to the NET, you eldritch bitch! She's mine!"

Alt writhed in pain as So Mi stretched her hand out to grab the retreating tendrils. Vega awoke with a start, shaking as she tried to get back onto her knees, "Go back to Arkham!"

With a burst of effort, So Mi reached for the Blackwall, goading it to chase her. She led them straight to Alt.

Like a million arresting hands, the Blackwall reached into meatspace, grabbing Alt, seizing her with impossibly strong force. Like demons dragging her back to hell, Alt seemingly was snatched through the floor as the Blackwall retreated to the digital realm from whence it came, taking the corrupted engram of Alt Cunningham with it. The enemy defeated, So Mi let go of the tendrils, but not before taking the opportunity to introduce the NET bomb code.

She watched through her optics' virtuality mode as block by block, corrupted Cynosure code was destroyed. The tendrils of the AI that Alt Cunningham had seized control of in her eldritch scheme were, block by block, obliterated by a malevolent blue wave that washed over every circuit and wireless network of the subnet, until the red glow finally died once and for all...

"Easy, V... you need to take it easy. After a net attack like that, I'm surprised you're even awake!"

Vega mumbled something, "I've had worse Relic Malfunctions... the AI was Alt? How the fuck's that possible?"

"Not Alt," So Mi assured her, "a fragment of her psyche, from when she fled into the NET after Arasaka Tower. She had to shed aspects of her humanity to survive in cyberspace... you just encountered a nasty fragment."

"Nasty? She had her digital tendrils in every system of my body. Not sure whether she was trying to control me or..."

"Maybe it's best we don't know," suggested So Mi, "The Blackwall has her now, and I've bombed the subnet. The nanobots are all dead. Meredith can begin the cleanup. Hopefully, Militech will be more careful with their toys next time."

"And other hilarious jokes you can tell your chooms," she managed a smile, "Oh, and next year, we're not going trick or treating with the kids from Militech."

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

That's Cyberween 2079. This is not canon to the timeline, and is just a Halloween story for fun.

Don't worry, this corrupt fragment of Alt is gone. The Blackwall does what the Blackwall does best, and our favourite ghostly netrunner engram is still out there... possibly plotting to take over the world. Please don't think I have it out for Alt or anything.

[martyrbat]

Newbie hockey anon here. Definitely enjoying the games so far! Finally convinced my family that I wasn't hallucinating about the on-ice logos changing (and figured out they were digitally added).

Honestly I like all the teams. I'm Canadian so the Oilers would be an obvious pick, but they beat the Canucks (local) so... Otherwise, I do really like the Stars (I'm a space kid and I dig their vibes). And I was uniquely impressed by the Panthers, especially in first period last game.

I don't know anything about the narratives about any of them tho 👀 what's going on?

since the stars just lost its a great time to talk about wasted narrative potential! hopefully this makes sense but okie:

tyler seguin—alternate captain, 32, whore

tyler was drafted to boston in 2010 and won a cup in his rookie year—2011!!! he was traded to dallas in 2013 (which that alone is a big deal since he was like a top two pick in his ability, was the first teenager to score 4 points in the playoffs since the 1980s, had a cup, and finished 2011-12 as the bruins score leader. there's rumors its because of his partying, there's rumors its because he slept with someone daughter, it doesn't really matter UDOFJF)

jamie benn—captain, 34 (drafted to the dallas stars in 2007)

jamie is underappreciated in general because the hockey market in dallas is, as expected, not as big for a canadian team—especially for how big the football team dallas cowboys are and how it dominates the sport scene. he was nominated for an art ross trophy (trophy for league point leader) in 2015ish but i think he doesn't get as much credit is because again, he plays for dallas, and because his 'prime run' wasnt as prolonged as many 'super stars'

but also jamie does play rough and can go a little too far in his hits. and he publicly announced he doesn't eat pussy so hes not my favorite and that's probably why the stars havent won a cup in 25 years HFUFH

but okay, with them briefly introduced!! tyler and jamie met and immediately had a gay thing going on. worked great, hit their stride together, are close—we love to see it. they have had many close runs for the cup but ultimately havent been able to win.

what's fascinating is right now theres A LOT of young players for the stars. most players hit their prime in mid 20s and by mid to late 30s a lot of players retire because of the strain, physical demands especially as the game continues to grow, and how fucking glorified playing through injuries is which (shockingly.) does catch up to your body and health. so the fact that the stars roster is filled with these younger guys that were drafted when T & J were more in their prime and as theyre approaching the more 'veteran' age for players is sooo....

if the stars would of won, it would been so narratively interesting to me because it would of been with these new guys leading it and being a striving force instead of them. dont get me wrong, they're still the captain and the A, but theyre no longer the team's score leaders. they're actual leaders to the players but not to the league. so the idea of not being able to win when YOU were that young player in their prime with the expected potential of being able to win a cup, the idea of not winning when it would of been your moment but instead as the backbone to this force. winning with these guys that are inevitably going to replace you and take your spot because that's the nature of the game but you finally get your moment in the sun, you finally fucking lift that cup above your head after all you've sacrificed and how hard you fought for it

fighting and fighting and fighting for this since your young 20s and finally getting your name engraved on the cup and having permanent proof of your work that can't be erased or taken away despite how the game will continue to grow and move on without you. it ultimately doesn't matter when you win, the goal is to just win whenever you can. you (usually) get your name on the cup regardless of your impact (rightfully so. if you're on the team, you did something to impact and get your team to this point, you deserve this too) but only having it NOW, when your role and what that impact is and how its so different than what it would have been over ten years ago, when your dreams and expectations for your career have changed and been influenced by a decade of attempts. chasing it for so long to finally get it NOW would have been sooo delicious and have so many conflicting and intense emotions but alas. oilers ruined my narratively significant cup run..

(also while tyler DID have a cup in his rookie year, its a matter of involvement. this isnt to take away the signifance of his cup involvement in any means but usually younger players arent contributing to it as much as players that are more in their stride since playing professional hockey is extremely different than junior hockey so to get it now, more towards the backend of his career when he literally started it with one, would have also be sooooo fulfilling to me)

[fakeosirian]

Almost a Stranger -- HoA Fabian/Patricia One-Shot

Post-S3, hurt/comfort, angst, lots of mess.

Fabian and Patricia have always been friends, despite how surprising people (themselves included) found it. Most days, they bicker, or they make plans to avert whatever crisis they're in this week, but the crises finally dried up, and bickering doesn't feel quite the same when the sentiments are ringing true more of then than not, these days.

At least they can be miserable together.

read on ao3 or here below the cut

Is it alright to be myself again? Can I finally be myself again? I don't need a reason to find I'm beginning to feel myself again I'm leaving the memory behind So I can finally be myself again Auf Wiedersehen, I'll see you later, some better day Cards on the table Vanity off to the side Always been able To get myself back to a stride Time's an eraser A reverie speaks for itself Sign your own waiver And you'll never be somebody else You'll never be somebody else Almost a stranger And even to those that I know I'm the remainder Of memories thrown to the cold Life is too painful When honesty comes at a price And lies are non-fatal Unless they're the four-letter kind Unless they're the four-letter kind

Fabian had been stuck in limbo for three straight weeks.

Ammut’s destruction did not cancel exams. That’d be an admission of guilt on Mr. Sweet’s part, and regardless, despite things feeling Decidedly Over around Anubis House, that didn’t apply to the school year. As he stared at his ceiling, there was still a month and change left, and while he wanted the Valedictorian spot, he didn’t want it badly enough to study early through the funk.

Well. Another year, he might have. In truth, his lack of early bird vigor had little to do with the exams themselves and everything to do with the black hole in his memory he’d do anything to scrub out entirely. Just knowing it was there at all was more than enough – he was guilty to admit he’d eliminate even the negative space it cast behind it without a second thought, if given the chance.

Eddie growled at his laptop across the room. He must have nearly died again. (In the video game, Fabian reminded himself, when just thinking that made him reflexively nauseous.)

Unable to stand the mounting pressure any longer, Fabian shot up from his bed and strode across the room to the door. Eddie pulled one half of his headphones off his head and peered over the lid of his laptop.

“You good?”

“Yeah, just getting a glass of water.”

“Cool.” He went back to his game without missing a beat; Fabian let go of the breath that lodged itself deep in his torso.

The hall was dimly lit – it was past 10, but Victor had gotten…noticeably lax about curfew recently – and dead quiet. Fabian’s steps lightened out of habit, and he stopped short when he saw a light flickering past the cracked kitchen door.

He slid up to the door and peeked through; Patricia leaned against the island counter, one hand gripping it tightly enough to blanch her knuckles, and the other blanching its knuckles on the handle of a mug. She stared into a lit candle on the counter like it held the answers to all of life’s biggest questions, and if she looked away for even a moment, they’d evaporate completely.

He wasn’t meant to see this, that much was clear.

He’d frozen on the spot, not paying attention to the way his weight shifted onto the door; unlatched, the door put up no resistance against his body leaning forward, and while Fabian was still mid-panic deciding how to proceed, the door’s hinges whined once it hit that one spot in their rotation. Patricia startled, blowing out the candle. Fabian gritted his teeth and held back a curse.

“Who’s there?”

“Me. Sorry.” Fabian ducked out from behind the door, sheepish eyes jumping all around the room, anywhere but on hers. “Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” Patricia said, a bit too quickly. She glanced at the smoke spiraling upward from the smoldering candle and back at him. “Someone left that lit. Fire hazard.”

“Right.” He fought down the urge to call her out. Why lie about that? It’s just a candle. It’s…definitely just a candle. Nothing weird about candles. So, no reason to lie, but she did anyway. I probably look suspicious. She’s acting suspicious. I’m acting suspicious. Suspicious of what? Ugh. It’s Patricia – of course she’s being weird about a candle when it’s just a candle. How long has it been since someone’s said something? Oh God. She can see it in my face, can’t she?

“Going to share with the class?” Patricia’s grip on her mug jerked a bit. Her shoulders were tense; Fabian’s were too. He heaved a sigh – felt a lot more like shoveling dirt than breathing should – and walked past her to get a glass.

“Nothing.” She stared at him, wordless. “Nothing worth the breath to explain, at least. I just came to get some water. Didn’t mean to interrupt anything. Sorry.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” she insisted. Fabian pressed his lips together and nodded; it came out jerky, insincere despite his best efforts and intentions, and her face pinched up in disgust. “If you’ve got something to say, then just say it.”

“I really don’t.” She scoffed. Fabian closed the cabinet door, but his hand hovered over the faucet handle for a moment. He tried, but he couldn’t let it go. “Seriously, are you okay? You seem upset. Is something bothering you?”

“If you even have to ask,” she grumbled. “It’s nothing to get all worried about. Would be better if you didn’t, actually.”

“Patricia.”

“Fabian.”

He put the glass down next to the sink and stood directly in front of her.

“I’ll leave it alone if you ask me to, but –”

“Already did, so case closed.”

“But, there’s no reason to suffer through it by yourself on purpose.”

Patricia looked at the floor, kicking the tip of her slipper over it, back and forth, back and forth. Fabian opened his mouth, compelled to fill the silence but with no particular thoughts in mind; it hung open for a moment, and closed when he came up empty. He turned around and turned on the tap.

“I was trying to calm down. Not from anything in particular. Just relax, whatever that means,” Patricia said underneath the rushing water. Fabian turned it down slightly – but not off. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, too quick for eye contact, and put his glass under the stream. “I heard somewhere staring at a candle works. Total crap, in my opinion. Now I’m tense and I have a blind spot smack in the middle of my vision.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“Something like that.”

“Me neither.” Fabian huffed a laugh. “Doesn’t help that Eddie’s teaching some twelve-year-olds some colorful, new vocabulary over Call of Duty right now.”

“What, cause he’s losing?”

“You didn’t hear it from me.”

Patricia grinned behind her mug. Fabian decided not to question why, upon closer inspection, Patricia decided to drink black tea if she was ‘having trouble sleeping, or something.’ The longer he lingered, the clearer it became to him that their ‘somethings’ were the same.

That was the last thing he wanted to talk about. …And yet he was still in the kitchen, talking. A strike of fear flashed across his mind – acting against his feelings, or were they his feelings, or was there something else driving the car? – and he forced down a gulp of water.

Unsurprisingly, he choked, and Patricia slopped tea on the counter in her haste to get her mug out of her hands. He waved her off, red-faced and suppressing the last of the sputtering, and forced his ragged throat in line.

“Wrong pipe.”

“Right.”

She positively dripped skepticism; rich coming from her, Ms. I Can’t Be Seen With A Candle.

He sniffed – water had gotten all the way up his nose, because of course it had – and took less ambitious sips while Patricia made a half-hearted attempt at mopping up her spilled tea with a paper towel. Every second that ticked past, the silence got thicker. Fabian wanted to leave. But, he hadn’t yet, and he wasn’t making any moves to. There was something…unfinished about this.

That original ‘something.’

“I guess you could say I haven’t felt myself lately,” Patricia said, apropos of nothing (or something). Fabian half-choked again – his glass was at his lips and ready to tip – and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“That’s one way of putting it.” He sighed. “You don’t remember anything either, do you?”

“No, nothing.” She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Not that I really want to, but I keep looking around in here like I might, like it’s possible I’m just missing something, and I can’t not know about it if that’s something that’s possible.”

“I find it hard to try in the first place because the sinking dread of what I’m going to do about it if I did remember something gets in the way.”

“Well, nothing, right? It’s over. Done and dusted.”

“Joy won’t look me in the eye.”

Patricia froze.

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since I’ve…been back…she’s seemed off. Not around anyone else, and nothing like I could remember before.” Fabian grimaced. “People have told me things I’ve said, but no one’s mentioned anything I said to her. I just…don’t know, and it’d be so hard to explain. I wouldn’t believe me if I was her.”

“She hasn’t told me anything about that,” Patricia said, her voice small. “Are you sure you’re not…y’know.”

“No, I’m not imagining it,” Fabian grumbled. “I think Jerome’s noticed too.”

“Ah.” She took a slow sip from her mug. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, people only noticed you acting weird because you’re usually pretty nice. Me? Apparently, just an average couple weeks, as far as everyone else was concerned.”

“It…doesn’t,” Fabian said, wincing. “And you weren’t completely normal, anyway.”

“Oh, great. I was worried I hadn’t made enough of a mess.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Patricia barked a laugh; it sounded painful. Fabian’s face grew hot. “You had no idea what they were doing in the Gatehouse! We didn’t even know what a sinner was yet.”

“Sorry, Officer, I didn’t realize Evil Things were happening in the Evil House. Won’t happen again.”

“Well, I did know, and I went anyway. Could always be worse.”

Patricia glared at him. He didn’t buckle; why would he? She couldn’t say anything worse about him than he’d already said himself. Bomb defused. She broke eye contact, muttering something unintelligible under her breath.

Before he caught up with himself, Fabian poked the bear.

“What?”

“Don’t talk like that around Eddie.” Fabian stared at her, missing several pieces of the puzzle. “Nevermind. Just don’t. Better yet, leave the entire topic alone.” She picked up her mug and pushed past Fabian to exit the kitchen.

“Patricia, wait.” She stopped, but she didn’t turn around. Her knuckles flexed where she gripped the door for dear life. “Do you…not talk about this at all? With anyone?”

“Why would I? Do you?”

“Fair point,” he said. “Um. Maybe we…should.”

She looked over her shoulder. Her eyes shone, glassy, under the low light of the kitchen.

“Why.”

“It’s…hard? When you don’t?”

She pressed her lips together. He ran through all of the other exits in the room that didn’t involve getting past her in his head. Two, by the way. Laundry room, window. Not looking good.

“Maybe.” She turned to the threshold again. “Thanks, Fabian. Sort of.”

“Er, you’re welcome. I guess.”

She disappeared down the hallway. Fabian lingered in the kitchen; he couldn’t leave, not while his heart raced and his blood sang in his ears.

*-*

That was before, but this is now: a summer trip to New York City, Patricia, Fabian, and Alfie on a plane, with instructions to meet Eddie and KT at the airport. (The directions to where they’d meet in the airport looked as clear as the alchemy recipes Victor left lying around in the cellar, so functionally directionless and with the implication of harsh consequences for failure.)

Fabian didn’t like to think too much about how he couldn’t make it out for Nina before. Alfie had offered to pay without hesitation, otherwise it likely wouldn’t have worked out this time, either, and making a comparison between the two situations seemed like an exercise in misery.

Three hours into a trans-Atlantic flight, and exercises in misery sound appealing for being exercises at all. He’s stuck in the middle seat, Alfie sleeping in the aisle seat, and he’d already finished the only book he’d taken out of his carry-on.

Patricia’s awake, though. They hadn’t talked much once the novelty wore off and Alfie passed out, but one glance at the book that wouldn’t un-finish itself and Fabian knew he’d have to break the awkwardness sooner or later.

She’d propped up her chin on her hand, staring out the window like something other than ocean would show up. He taps her on the shoulder, and she grunts her acknowledgement.

“Excited to see Eddie?”

“Huh?” Couple seconds to process. “Oh. Yeah, loads of excitement.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Oh, shove it. I’m exhausted, and I can’t sleep on planes,” she says. “Yes, I am excited to see Eddie. I bet you’re going to be missing Mara, then.”

Fabian’s breath catches.

“Mara?”

“Well, yeah.”

Yikes. He hadn’t told her, had he.

“That didn’t really…”

“Oh.”

“It’s pretty recent. You didn’t miss anything, or. You know.”

“No explanation necessary.” Does she look…relieved? “To tell the truth, it was weird anyway. Sorry if that’s mean.”

“It’s not. It…made sense, but.”

“Too much sense?”

“Too much sense.”

Patricia nods like she’s got a cigar hanging out of her mouth.

“Always thought she picked people who she had nothing in common with, but turns out that was her type all along. I suppose I owe her a ‘you told me so’ for all the times I told her otherwise.” Alfie stirs in the aisle, and Fabian waves his hand in a ‘volume down’ motion. She grimaces, but she’s clearly got more to say. “Was it…mutual?”

“Yeah,” Fabian says. “It…yeah. Two dates, and at the end of the second, we were both looking for the opening. No big deal. Guess I’d just gotten in the habit of starting something new at the end of the year.” The laugh isn’t completely forced. Patricia awkwardly pats him on the arm.

“Not all of us can have the surprise whirlwind romance of Joy and Jerome.”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself and Eddie short.”

He hadn’t even wanted to say it, not really, but he thought it’d be the right thing. Evidently, it wasn’t, because Patricia’s eyes widen and dart back to the window. She rattles off a stilted agreement a moment too late.

That isn’t wishful thinking, is it? It shouldn’t be. Worse than making ‘too much’ sense, it made none at all.

Despite no wishes being made, the monkey’s paw curls anyway. The first day of the trip goes great (navigating the airport aside); the second day, Patricia and Eddie spend the latter half of the afternoon arguing behind a bedroom door while Alfie, KT, and Fabian do their best to drown it out with the TV. It’s not working.

Alfie just cranks the volume up a couple notches when they start shouting again, and KT turns it down when they get quiet. Fabian would get involved in the tug-of-war over the remote if he wasn’t so invested in spending every single ounce of willpower he had to not make sense of the snippets he caught anyway. Morbid curiosity is already a real enough concept to him, but he hadn’t yet considered that it also applied to situations without someone trying to kill you directly. You can absolutely die of anticipation, all on your own, with a heartrate fast enough.

Eventually, whatever show they were hardly paying attention to in the first place didn’t cut it anymore, and KT suggests that the three of them go around the corner for some snacks. Of course, that’s when Patricia and Eddie throw open the door.

“I’m going with you,” Eddie says, no room for argument as he grabs his wallet and keys out of the bowl next to the front door. He strode past so quickly Fabian couldn’t even see his face; his voice was bent out of shape, hoarse and evaporated. KT, Alfie, and Fabian share a look; Fabian takes a step back towards Patricia, and the other three leave without a moment’s hesitation. The door slam echoes throughout the Miller’s apartment, and in the void of sound it leaves behind, Fabian wonders if he’s made an enormous mistake.

(Why this would be a mistake, he didn’t know, but it nags.)

Fabian whips around to face Patricia. Her cheeks are splotchy and red, her breathing shaky, and Fabian remembers how deeply unequipped he is for this. Something must have shown on his face; her breath catches, her eyes get glassy, and it’s all over.

“Come here,” Fabian says, or something tells him to say, because he’s acting entirely on instinct when he erases the distance between them and takes her up in a hug. She’s stiff as a board in his arms, but she isn’t throwing him off (like he knows she is completely capable of and willing to do), so he’s at least avoiding the big mistakes.

He guides her to the couch; she hiccups into the side of his shoulder, and he can feel the twin wet patches there stick to his skin. They’re forced to break up for a moment when they sit down.

“I’m sorry,” Fabian starts to say, but he only gets halfway through the second word before she fully breaks down into sobs. That’s when it clicks for him – he knows these sobs.

“I only –”

“I know. When you’re angry.”

“Very angry,” she corrects between heaves.

It had been years since the last time, so long he’d nearly forgotten, but he still knew what to do. He puts an arm around her shoulders and buttons up his mouth; she lets it all out. There’s words in there between the tears and gasps, nothing that’d make it easier to understand, and nothing he dares to press.

Who knows how much later, Patricia’s mostly stopped crying, still muttering under her breath here and there and wiping tears off her cheek with Fabian’s upper arm, and Fabian’s phone buzzes. It’s a text from Alfie asking if they’re clear to come back.

“What’s up?”

Fabian fumbles to respond to the text – not yet, need a bit more time – and attempts a lie by omission to the question – just Alfie – but she sees right through it. He puts his phone back in his pocket (where she’ll have to wrestle him for it if she really wants to – he doesn’t examine that thought too much).

“They’re going to be taking a bit longer with the snacks.”

“What, because I’m crying?” He sighs – he’s supposed to be avoiding getting into it with her while she’s still upset – but before she can get either angry or angry with herself for being angry, he shifts the topic:

“What do you need right now?” Her mouth drops open in surprise, and not a moment later, less in surprise and more out of offense. “Do you want them to come back?” Her jaw shuts with a click. “Talk about it, then? Or do something else entirely? We could go on a walk for ourselves.” The straws he’s grasping at break apart in his hands, but it’s enough to get her laughing.

“Wandering around NYC without a guide would be insane – that doesn’t sound like a Fabian plan at all! Who are you and what have you done with him?”

Oh, that’s what was so funny. Haha. Oh.

She looks horrified once it sinks in for her, too, but he just…laughs. Very hard, to the point he can’t stop laughing, actually; it’s nervous and jarring, but it’s infectious, and she tentatively starts laughing, too, enough to finally interrupt her crying, until his chest catches on a laugh-turned-hiccup. He’s crying, he realizes. He wasn’t laughing at all. He’s just crying.

Now it’s her turn to fumble her way through an apology (and he knows why she’s compelled to since she’s not subtle – she can needle him and call him a geek but only because he doesn’t…break when she does).

“No, it’s okay – I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be comforting you,” he says, voice thick with tears, which she just shakes her head at, no words. He gets ahold of himself as quickly as he lost it. “Seriously, no apology necessary. I know you get it.” She still doesn’t have the words, but she nods.

They sit like that for a while; Fabian’s not sure how long, the best marker of time available the erratic rhythm of their heartbeats interrupting each other over and over. His picks up whenever he thinks about it too hard. Maybe he was wishing it into existence, but sometimes, he could have sworn hers would do the same.

Without preamble, she explains:

“We’ve been having issues because Eddie’s mad I can’t forgive myself for what happened. Whatever that’s supposed to mean in this context – I think he’s being daft. There’s way more to it than that, if that were even it. I mean, if it were that simple, wouldn’t I have just done it already?” Fabian understands both sides of this argument a little too well to stick his neck out, so he presses his lips together tightly and waits for her to continue. “It’s pretty easy for him to feel that way in his position. His biggest sin was trusting the wrong people.”

“Nina always felt guilty when things went wrong,” Fabian chips in.

“Exactly. Something about being in charge makes people all weird. It’s so selfish. Has anyone ever properly been in charge of anyone else around here? We’re all just doing stuff and half-talking about it and hoping it works out. It’s so hard to look yourself in the face and recognize what went wrong is entirely your own fault, but it’s the only way you get better, right? It’s insulting for someone to step in and blame themselves and take that away from you.”

Fabian is taken aback because it feels wrong, just as selfish in a way, but something buried deep inside him agrees strongly enough to scare him a little. He’s never had that feeling validated before. He thinks it probably shouldn’t be, reflexively, but that in and of itself exposes the deep river of self-doubt running below all of that. Alfie got sinnered too, they’ve talked about it, but he’s been able to cope by still trusting his core intentions to be good. Patricia is the only other person who understands. He can trust her more than anyone else, in a twisted sort of way, and if she trusts him…

Does she? They make very significant eye contact. Of course she trusts him. This is Patricia – she doesn’t cry in front of anyone if she can help it. Except him, apparently. It’s not like he’s keeping her here by force. (He couldn’t even if he wanted to.)

Suddenly, he’s very, very, very aware of the fact that they’re alone for as long as they want to be (within reason) and there’s a dangerous current arcing between them. Judging by the look on her face, she’s well aware of it, and just as flummoxed as him.

But…just as interested. They’ve been physically close ever since she broke down crying, but their faces were not this close five minutes ago. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

“Eddie!” he squeaks. She whips around to look at the door – he clarifies:

“No, they’re not here, they’re still gone, I just. Well. We’re…”

“We’re what, doofus?” Now he’s irritated.

“We’re about to kiss?” She opens and closes her mouth a couple times (and stares at his) but she can’t dispute it. He continues: “You’re still dating Eddie.”

Patricia deflates into him – cue the flush simmering away on his face roaring into a towering inferno – and mumbles into his chest.

“Am I?”

(He’s positively mortified how quickly that got him excited. Forget mortified – disgusted.)

“…Isn’t this exactly what got Jerome in trouble?”

“Are you seriously comparing me to Jerome Clarke right now? While cuddling me?”

He’s too flustered for words; she sits up, but she’s still holding on to him, now eye level. He can see the justifications flying around between her ears, so clearly that he pinpoints the moment she picks one and sticks to it.

“It’s not like it’d be the worst bad decision we’ve ever made.”

“That’s a pretty low bar to clear.”

“Exactly. Why beat yourself up for this when you’re too busy tackling the big fish?”

“…I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“Why can’t it be?”

Fabian sighs.

“Patricia.”

“Fabian.”

She’s not going to let up; she forced his hand.

“Patricia, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really, genuinely want—” Chokes a bit. “To kiss you. Right now. I needed to say it out loud to make sure you know I mean it, but mostly because I’m having a hard time believing this is real.”

“Same here.” Her wobbly little smile looks like victory; unfortunately, victory over which battle hits him like a brick to the chest, and it’s much harder to want to reach out and take it after that. “What? Is everything okay?”

Fabian shakes his head. He waits for her to fight him, agree, do anything, really, but the ball’s still stuck to his side of the court. He struggles to find a way to say it that doesn’t feel so…accusatory.

“Do we really want to taint…this…with that? You're still...”

She sighs, looks at his lips again, and looks away with a shake of her head.

“I hate that you’re a good person.”

“Hey, I could say the same about you. That was the last of my resistance I was using there – if you’d fought me at all, well.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Sorry! Sorry. Ugh.” They stop talking, but they don’t stop holding each other. The gears in Fabian’s head turn in time with his stomach. “Don’t break up with Eddie for it.”

Patricia gets up, puts him at arm’s length, but still holding onto him.

“Where the hell did you get that idea from?” He blanches – did he overstep? Had he missed something? Or is he really that self-centered? She whacks him in the arm. “And stop overthinking it! Seriously, why are you worried about that?”

Fabian hems and haws a bit. Despite the involuntary rush of adrenaline – cued just in time to match the way his mind went completely blank on the topic despite the clear logic he used to make that statement in the first place being there just a second ago – he’s shocked to find that she’s not angry. She sounds shocked, a bit upset, but not necessarily with him. He takes a couple steadying breaths as she looks on with concern ratcheting upwards.

“You and Eddie are having a hard time right now, and for good reason, but it’s not unfixable whatsoever. You have a strong relationship. I don’t mean to insinuate anything, only that I don’t want you giving up on that prematurely for…whatever this is, or rather could be.”

Patricia frowns, brow furrowed to the nose and storm clouds rolling in.

“Don’t worry about what me and Eddie are doing. I know exactly what I’m doing.” Even though he feels like he’s the one in the wrong here, he can’t help but get his hackles up involuntarily at that obvious falsehood. She groans and waves her hand. “Oh, you know what I mean. It’s a mess, but it’s my mess. Our mess, me and Eddie’s, I mean. If it ends, it ends because of us, and there’s plenty of us to go around already.”

“Okay,” Fabian says, desperately grasping for that trust he had in her earlier. He finds it more easily than he was expecting, lying right behind her eyes and in the thin, crooked, half-broken smile she puts together from scratch for him.

“But.” He tenses up. “The two of us have been through a lot together. I’ve known you for basically forever.”

“Not all of forever has been pleasant,” he can’t help but offer. She snorts.

“That’s sort of what I mean. Don’t discount what this could be because of what it might have been before.”

That…huh. It struck a chord with him, but…

“Does…does that mean anything at all?”

“Oh, shut up. Don’t make this bit of forever unpleasant, too.” They both laugh, and things feel as close to comfortably normal as they could, what with the pervasive feeling that This Isn’t Happening For Real still hanging over the room present. Or her hand on his shoulder, still. Mostly the hand.

“This bit?” He can’t help himself – it’s so easy to give in to the urge to be cheeky around her.

“Yeah, this…whatever we’re doing. How we’re being better friends because we hate ourselves but we could be also…” she trails off, nose crinkling as she tries on an entire store’s worth of ill-fitting phrasings. “What did I say about not making this unpleasant?”

This time, when he cries from laughing too hard, there’s no pain in it whatsoever.

Eddie, Alfie, and KT return shortly after. Eddie still seems bothered, but less than he did when he left, and Patricia’s able to keep her cool just fine when he walks in the door. The only slip that gives her away is the quick glance back at Fabian when Eddie finally vacates the threshold of the door and puts their convenience store haul down on the coffee table. It was so quick that only Fabian would notice, but the gnawing anxiety in his gut wouldn’t stop reminding him that his own over-focus on Patricia would be the far more obvious thing for an outsider to notice there. That’s the only reason he saw her glance in the first place.

It's easy enough for them to pretend that everything is some semblance of normal for the rest of the trip. When they’re in a group, whatever activity they’re up to and the five-person banter are far too distracting for minds and eyes to wander. In a group, Fabian can’t tell if that subtle bit of distance between Patricia and Eddie is all in his head or not, and the less people there are, the distance between everyone invariably gets larger. Consideration for personal space, maybe. Maybe.

The trouble comes when the group whittles down to just Fabian and Patricia again, so they do their best to limit how often that happens. Fabian ranks it among the hardest things he’s ever done where the consequences don’t involve someone dying.

By the time they’re on the plane home, he’s so exhausted from tamping his feelings down that he doesn’t have the energy to feel them in the first place. He sleeps most of the time, unlike last time, and is only awake at the same time as Patricia (the one who claims to not be able to sleep on planes) once. They spend most of it in silence, Alfie’s snoring matching their stuttering heartbeats, and dare not refer to That Night.

Fabian would hold Patricia to her word – to not hurt Eddie on his behalf – no matter how much it hurt the two of them in turn. For now, he’s left with a lightness in his heart, and an ugly churning in his stomach.

[cyberpunkplaylist]

I said I owed you two today. So more movie music for the second.

This was used for the end credits for The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay.  The very deliberate unceasing beat feels like someone striding through the last action set piece on fantastic badass movie.  Which it kinda was.  But dig these lyrics, folks. I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm And the scars that mark my body, they're silver and gold My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones It keeps my veins hot, the fires find a home in me I move through town, I'm quiet like a fire And my necklace is of opal, I tie it and untie it

And our people talk to me, but nothing ever hits So people talk to me, and all the voices just burn holes

I'm going in (ooh) This is the start of how it all ever ends They used to shout my name, now they whisper it I'm speeding up and this is the Red, orange, yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart We rip the start, the colors disappear I never watch the stars there's so much down here So I just try to keep up with them Red, orange, yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart

Well, it’s fun for me to think of my V firing through some finale finally resolved.  Miyamoto Musashi'’s blood in her veins, and the void book of Go Rin No Sho in her chromed eyes.

[goatchulu]

jealous! lucifer x gender neutral! reader

Genre: fluff, ig? slight smut in the end.

Fandom: obey me!

Prompt: you find yourself in a fake relationship, and now you're introducing your "boyfriend" to the demom brothers. they don't take it so well, especially lucifer.

Warnings: mentions of drinking, mentions of harassment and stalking, they make out in the end, reader's gender is unmentioned for your imagination (and inclusion).

lucifer takes another swig of his whisky, a slight burning sensation lingering on his throat. no matter the amount of alcohol he consumed that night, he couldn't escape the bitter feeling that was left inside his chest.

the two of you have been hitting it off pretty well for the past few weeks, if he could say so himself. the harmless complimenting and the subtle glancing had turned into ardent flirting and shows of affection overtime. you two were finally going somewhere with your mutual pinning, or so he thought.

lucifer didn't think his small (not so small) crush on you would lead anywhere, really. nor did he think you would reciprocate his infatuation. but with all the friendly interactions you had of late, anyone would assume you two were together in a romantic light.

now look, lucifer prides himself as a person. he was assertive, efficient, productive, level-headed and the voice of reason when stress is most prominent. but as a lover? lucifer wasn't so sure. he assumed you'd like someone more jolly and eccentric like mammon or someone more confident and charismatic like asmodeus. he didn't expect for you to even spare him a second glance when it came to the dating game. lucifer was a busy man after all, and he wasn't the most expressive when it came to emotions; not very ideal for a lover.

but what lucifer also did not expect was for you to bring home a common demon boy and introduce him as your significant other.

let's just say that all the built up tension and courting were all ruined by a single dinner party.

you had gathered all the demon brothers earlier that morning, claiming you had an important announcement to make. you went as far as inviting diavolo and his loyal butler, barbatos, to spend the evening over for dinner. they thanked you for the invitation, but they unfortunately, could not attend because of their hectic schedules.

lucifer, on the other hand, was more than happy to accept your invitation (though he was quick to cover up the smile he held when you came up to him). seeing as he already lives under the same roof as you, anways. his happiness would soon be diminished and grinded into dirty, pathetic, dust, though.

lucifer's eyes narrow as mammon's loud laughter bounces off the walls of the dining room. lucienne, your "boyfriend", had managed to crack the demon up with one of his silly stories about a strange elderly wizard that sold expensive medication made out of fairy wings that turned out to just be bedazzled dragon fly wings. he worked wonders with the avatar of greed, considering the fact that just a moment ago, mammon was cursing in jealousy and resentment as you sat with your newly introduced boyfriend.

luficer would've told mammon to shut up, but he feared saying something far more vulgar out of anger. the previous tension was already eased into a more domesticated athmosphere (credits to lucienne's charm and humor), lucifer didn't want to ruin dinner for his brothers, and especially not for you.

i mean, lucifer felt betrayed, he felt used and-- and played. how could you lead him on like this? but deep inside, he knew there was something else. he felt disappointed, he felt defeated, he felt crushed, he wished he'd done something sooner before this lucienne stole you away from him.

but anyways, back to the dinner party.

"you seem unusually quiet, lucy." asmo teases from across lucifer's seat. the phrase seems to capture everyone's attention, all eyes now on the grimacing and glaring lucifer.

"asmo's right, you haven't uttered a word since lucienne arrived, lucifer. is something wrong?" you chime in, causing lucifer to perk up. the thought of you worrying about his state sent sparks into his heart, but they were quick to disappear when lucienne asks him the same question.

"i'm fine." he replies to your concern, unable to hide the venom that strung on to his words. this only causes asmodeus to snicker, and leviathan to sink deeper into his seat. everyone else watches in concern as lucifer downs another glass of demom whiskey. you're about to ask him again, unsure about his reply, but he stops you before you could even form a word.

"i said i'm fine."

the air is tense, until eventually, mammon gasps out of nowhere. "don't tell me! lucifer is jealous!!~" he repeats in a sing song manner, only irking lucifer even further. no one else speaks up, the whole situation akward enough.

after a while, though, lucienne speaks up. he gestures at mammon, especially. hoping to stop the demon from escalating the situation. "hey mammon, wanna hear about that one time i accidentally professed my love for my eight grade math teacher?" mammon only settles back into his seat, ready for another laughing fit. the avatar of pride snaps at this, slamming his fists down the table before abruptly excusing himself with a "i have something to do."

he spares you one last glance. his heart aching with guilt from the way you had lowered your head in shame. lucifer didn't want to make you feel like he owned you, or that you weren't allowed to be with someone else... he just, he has enough reason to justify his anger right now and he really wants to dwell in it. he turns his head away from you, biting his lip to contain the guilt and pain that was threatening to seep out. he doesn't turn to look back as he walks away from the dining room in long and rushed strides.

lucifer walks down the dark hallways of lamentation, familiar with every nook and cranny the mansion had. he sighs in relief as his palm reaches out for a familiar door. it creaks as lucifer walks into his room, sounding just as glum as lucifer is.

he heads straight to his paperwork, silently hoping that they would provide him some sort of comfort. he tries to focus on anything but the thought of you or your unavailability, his mind barely processing any of the words that were printed out in front of him. he groans, his hands pulling on his jet black hair in frustration.

i mean, he should've expected this. lucienne was everything lucifer thought you would love. funny outgoing, caring, expressive, charismatic, a smooth talker and he looked at you with utmost respect and admiration. i mean, who in their right mind would choose old-schooled lucifer over the flawless lucienne?

you deserve lucienne and although lucifer thinks that no one in the three realms could ever deserve to call you theirs, he still thinks that lucienne is more deserving of you than lucifer could ever be. what were you doing to the poor demon? he was never one to admit defeat like this, and he especially wasn't the type of person that'd lower themself like this.

his rollercoaster of thoughts are interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. his ears already familiar with this particular knocking pattern. he can't help but straighten himself up, suddenly aware of the way his hair is all sprawled out. he slicks it down with saliva, muttering a small "enter" soon after he finshes checking on his appearance.

his mood lightens just a little bit at the sight of your face. as much as lucifer wants to hate you right now, he couldn't possibly feel that way towards you. never, not in a quadrillion light years.

you sit down in front of him, a genuine look of concern on your face. this makes lucifer visibly frown, catching you a bit off guard. "i wanted to talk to you about something, lucifer." his eyes grow curious and a bit hopeful, wishing it were about something that would distract him from the current situation or give him even the tiniest bit of closure.

"it's about lucienne." and once again, you manage to crush all his hope with only a few words. lucifer swears that if he hears that name one more time, he would personally shove your lovely boyfriend down the deepest depths of the underworld.

you watch his brows furrow and his fist tighten on his quill. lucifer looks far from happy to hear you talk about your significant other right now. "look, i know you'd rather not hear about lucienne again, but it's really really important and i want you to just hear me out. just this once, please?"

lucifer couldn't stand the pleading look you were giving him. your puppy eyes were a weapon that you used on him often, and they always managed to work. a tired sigh leaves his lips, if it meant getting it over with then he'd listen. "fine," he snaps, not before rubbing at his temple in obvious distress. he's said fine, but his body language told you otherwise.

"someone's kind of harassing lucienne at the moment. stalking him, giving him unwanted gifts and constantly professing their love for him when he's told them multiple times that it made him uncomfortable. they're an admirer of some sorts. i'm posing as lucienne's lover in hopes that they'd back off for a while, but i wanted to see if you and diavolo could do some actual help. it's worrisome, really. and it's been stressing lucienne out for the past couple of weeks. pretending to be his significant other is the most i can do for him, i hope you understand."

lucifer only freezes in shock, guilt washing over him all so suddenly. you call out for him, effectively snapping him out of his short daze. of course you'd offer to help lucienne out, you've always been a kind person. in lucifer's eyes, atleast. he coughs into his hand, avoiding eye contact with you as he degrades himself for his previous selfishness.

"of course, i'll do my best to make sure this harasser is punished. the school and i will ensure that lucienne won't be seeing this stalker anytime soon. just keep supporting him like this, i suppose. tell him he can sleep here for the night. thank you for informing me about this." you smile at lucifer's response, relief overwhelming your senses. if this meant that lucienne was finally going to be safe and unbothered, you were overjoyed.

you jump at lucifer, thanking him, all the while, squeezing the life out of him. his heart races impossibly fast at the gesture, and you can't help but smirk at the red that tainted his cheeks. "just so you know, i still like you. and only you, lucy."

his breath comes to a halt. he was no longer able to contain the butterflies that crowded his stomach; shock and well, pure bliss apparent on his face. "does this mean i can kiss you?"

"do anything as you please."

lucifer lunges at you. capturing your lips into a hungry and impatient kiss. his hands roam all over your torso, looking for anything he could hold onto. he settles for your waist and you drape your hands over his shoulders. heaven knows how long he's been waiting for this moment.

he manages to stumble through his room, leading you two to his bed. you part as he pushes you down to sit at the end of his king sized bed. he grins at the sight of you, disheveled and thirsty for more. the avatar of pride couldn't help but be excited for the faces you'll make in the unholy endeavors he's planning for you. he'll devour you, tear apart every innocent limb you have in your body. his imagination runs wild as he thinks of the many ways he'd mark you as his, exhibit you to the world and spread you wide open for his contenders to see. for them to know just how pathetic and needy lucifer could make you in an instant.

he bends down to kiss you again, pushing against your tounge with his own. he squeezes your thighs, digging his nails deep into the skin under the cloth still covering you. groans and grunts leave your lips as he countinues to caress your plush thighs.

as you two part, panting, a newfound possessiveness overtakes lucifer's eyes.

"you're mine."

[xcrystalzero]

finals never end

summary: as finals approach, i would like to imagine that there is something more to college than studying alone in a box for 14 hours a day. so, here's a modern au of the genshin boys as college students.

Characters included: Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Xiao, Zhongli

Diluc:

- Who are we kidding, this bitch is a legacy at some pricy Ivy League. Hates when people bring it up though since he just wants to be his own person and not rely on his family name to get through things.

- Majors in business because of course he does. Rushed a business frat because it seemed like a good idea. Didn't get a bid and has since boycotted greek life.

- Eventually people find out who his father is and he starts to get bombarded by people who just basically want to use him for networking. Gets approached by girls (and sometime guys) after class like literally every day, asking if he wants to study with them sometime or just "hang out" both because he's hot and because he's rich. He never gives them the time of day but that never stops them.

- Goes to the same school as Kaeya but ignores him every time he tries to talk to him or just come back into his life. Kaeya usually takes it in stride but every else is super confused about how the two of them actually know each other.

- Walks you home from class when it starts to get darker earlier, apparently only because he doesn't have anything better to do. A gentleman through and through.

"Don't you have a meeting right now?"

"You staying safe is more important right now. They'll understand."

Kaeya:

- You know that one guy who is always out partying and who you never see studying but somehow makes the Dean's List every single semester without fail? Yeah, that's Kaeya.

- He's probably like an engineering or hard science major too and all his friends are absolutely pissed when he fucks up the curve every single time.

"You got a 98 on the orgo final???" "What, like it's hard?"

- Not as much of a hoe as everyone thinks he is. He definitely has his fun but he's not that guy who has slept his way through his entire major.

- Surprisingly enough, he's not actually in a frat, he just always knows where all the parties are. He's that guy with a snap score in the millions because everyone and their cousin hits him up every Friday night to ask where the parties are at.

-Generally seen as a really easy person to talk too. Also really good at seeming open with people without actually ever opening up and sharing anything about himself.

- With his very few close friends however, he has some strange hobbies that he's always happy to have someone to share with.

-Will take you on a picnic date about a mile off campus where you guys each way too much cheese and crackers, drink about a bottle of wine each, and watch the stars come out as the sun sets. Give the boy some love. That's all he really wants.

Venti:

-Your local friendly performing arts major who you never find without a huge iced coffee and cuffed jeans.

- He's super involved in a bunch of student organizations from improv to a few music clubs and the like. He's that person that everyone in his major knows and comes to for recommendations about new things that they should try out.

- He's in a band! They play indie songs at rotating bars every Tuesday and Thursday night and go to conferences once a semester for aspiring artists. Also sometimes will randomly perform on the Quad and serenade the random people passing by just trying to get to class.

-Offers to play at an event a club you're in is hosting as long as there's free snacks.

- Kind of an alcoholic? Not a partier in the traditional sense, but at least twice a week, he'll host a hangout where he and anyone who decides to show up get wine drunk and watch a shit ton of Gilmore Girls. BYOB of course because there's no way he could afford it on his own. Has shown up to class still drunk before but he's cute so everyone forgives him.

- Impromptu photo shoots all the time with him. Whether its a cute random flower patch, the soft neon signs outside of a boba shop, or graffiti painted onto a building wall, everything is an insta opportunity.

Xiao:

- That mysterious kid sitting in the back of your lecture wearing all black who is both undeniably hot and also exceedingly intimidating.

- Either an animal sciences major because animals are just better than humans, or he's like like history/english and spends a lot of time reading.

- He's that guy who stops communicating after the first day of your group project and you're really worried that they're just not going to finish their work but they end up sending it to you perfectly complete like a week early. Also, will talk/text you one-on-one but dislikes group meetings and group chats.

- He's in a band too! They actually play with Venti and his friends a lot and even though he admires him a lot, he's never gotten around to actually talking to Venti.

- Doesn't let people come over because then his frighteningly large collection of Funko-Pops and anime merch will be revealed.

- Also a dancer! He's not on a team or anything since he had some bad experiences with teams when he was younger, but he heads down to the studio at least 2 times a week just to move and let out some stress. If he offers to teach you sometime, that means he really really likes you.

- Asked if you wanted to go see the Demon Slayer movie with him and then showed up in a black mask and sunglasses because he didn't want anyone to recognize him.

Childe:

- Idk why but he kind of gives off athlete vibes??? Maybe like a basketball player or something?

- A bit of a campus celebrity just in that basically everyone, even if they aren't in the same major or aren't into sports, or just basically have no connection to him, still somehow know about him.

- He's a PR major and that charm is no joke. Some people kind of despise him because of the way he is literally able to effortlessly win over all of the recruiters and just random people he meets. He's extremely well-loved and he knows it.

- He's in a frat but outside of like mandatory events, doesn't spend all that much time with them. When he does party though, he goes hard.

- Doesn't actively flirt with anyone but he's just so charming and amiable that sometimes it comes across that way. Girls are always like "he's so respectful and nice I'm in love with him." He never feels the same way.

- Extremely competitive. Like the most competitive person you have literally ever met. He has to win everything and if he doesn't, he'll just keep trying and trying until he does. Literally the worst person to play beer pong with because he's not letting you go until he wins.

- Asks you to come to his games even though you barely even know the rules. If he does see you in the crowd, he gets way too hyped but plays the best he has all season. Make sure you take the credit for it.

Zhongli:

- That guy in your required philosophy class who argues with the professor. Not in an annoying "I'm smart and want an excuse to mansplain" kind of way though. He's actually just absurdly well-read and wants to discuss things instead of just listening to someone talk.

- People get annoyed with him because he's kind of disrupting class but if you actually listen to what he's saying, his ideas make a lot of sense and are kind of a mind-fuck at times.

- Has an extensive collection of plants at home and somehow manages to keep all of them alive and thriving. Also collects antique tea sets and goes to great lengths to make sure that they are taken care of.

- Probably actually a philosophy or anthropology major. Always has a new book recommendation and he's a darling who actually reads from every genre.

- Spends his free time going to museums in the area or visiting historical landmarks that are close enough to the university. Loves walking everywhere so that he can just take time to enjoy scenery and the like.

- You mention that there's a new exhibit at the local art gallery and he says that he's actually going there that evening if you would like to join him. And I mean, why would you refuse?

A.N. I'm gonna go back to studying now! Hope you enjoyed!

[maxknightley]

Hey, do you have any recommendations for where to start with Touhou? The completionist in me wants to start from the very beginning but every time I've looked into that it's seemed like more trouble to get set up than it's worth

Absolutely! I will say that my opinions on the matter tend to differ from other opinions I've seen, so take them with a grain of salt. (The biggest difference is that a lot of people think Imperishable Night is a good starter game. I disagree, mostly because I think Stage 5 is really difficult and its structure is very different from most installments.)

As far as games go, I'd recommend one of the following:

TH7, Perfect Cherry Blossom: the first of the touhou games to really have, like, characters and ideas in a way that matters. pretty simple, very Iconic. it's a little flat in my opinion tho.

TH10, Mountain of Faith: this is where the games really hit their stride, and it's the start of one of the big multi-game arcs in the series. it's not too difficult, it introduces several fan favorite characters, and I like the music a lot.

TH14, Double Dealing Character: my personal favorite. it's tricky to get used to at first, especially because there's a gimmick that works best once you've played the game several times and are starting to memorize the stage layouts through repetition. that said, it has My Blorbos in it, I think it has some of the best bullet patterns in the series, and once you DO get a hang of the power-up system it's relatively easy to get to the final boss without using any continues.

TH17, Wily Beast and Weakest Creature: Furries live here, and it's one of the easiest games in the series. This one's also the start of a multi-game arc, by the way.

I strongly recommend against starting with Embodiment of Scarlet Devil; it's the first Windows game, but it's just not that great, and I don't think it gives you a good sense of what the series as a whole is like. If you're going to play it, do so after playing the more recent stuff.

Don't start with Undefined Fantastic Object or Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom, either; they're both solid entries, but they're very difficult.

As for the print works, the consensus seems to be "start with Forbidden Scrollery and Wild and Horned Hermit, then read what's left in whichever order you please." I'm inclined to agree. Personally I'd start with FS because I think it's a bit breezier and more fun than WAHH, but they're both solid.

[autumnslance]

I noticed you doing character bingos again! I’d like to see one for Zenos if possible. I had fun with him in Stormblood, but found that joy to drowned with how he was handled in Endwalker. By the end I just wanted to be done with that monster. If the game had let me walk away without fighting him, like he suggested, I would have.

Wild, we're about the opposite; I disliked Zenos a great deal in Stormblood--he was bloody useless and an annoyance out of nowhere--while I feel they finally figured him out and mostly hit their stride with him in Endwalker, as he gave up pretending to care about military and political matters and became the wandering blood knight he actually is.

Almost got a bingo, but let's be real; I always have too much to say about major characters.

I also won't say anything negative about folks' WoLships, which are by far the most popular Zenos pairing; folks have their fun and they're welcome to it. But fandom is a good chunk of the issue with Zenos. One either loves him or hates him, and both sides tend to take it to extremes and flanderize / mischaracterize the man rather than dealing with the canon portrayal.

In my opinion, he's not that deep. Yes I have read "The Hunt Begins" thank you I own a copy of Chronicles of Light. It told us nothing new about his history and personality, just gave us a glimpse of where he started to find his focus, exactly as the title tells us. The thing is, Zenos doesn't have to be "deep" (whatever one means by that) to be compelling and do his job as a character in the story. Given his straightforward viewpoints, especially in EW as he gives an answer to Hermes' questions, Zenos himself might scoff at the need to find hidden depth of meaning to his personality and existence.

I've also said somewhere, probably my other big Zenos write-up, that he's not quite tragic, though there's tragedy all around and through him. He chooses to not deal with it in any fashion, a creature of the present entirely.

I think he needed a better introduction, seeded over the HW patches, even just in discussion and rumors if we still didn't see him until that patch 3.55 shot. I think he should have done something in StB other than be a "lose the fight the right way" plot checkpoint and just handing Doma and Ala Mhigo back to the heroes without having to really work for them.

I really think a massive part of the dissatisfaction many folks have with StB's story is that the victories are hollow after so much misery in those lands, who are then each shorted due to sharing the expansion. And a lot of that comes down to the misuse of Zenos, whose attributes are mostly told to us as he sleeps on the throne and bullies his underlings. For a supposedly brilliant man, we never see it in his military strategies, and he's played handily by Fandaniel, who knew just how to pull Zenos's strings.

So yeah. I was ready to be done with him in EW; "In From the Cold" is horrifying but I see it more as Fandaniel's scheme that Zenos goes all into. My WoL stopped caring about Zenos the moment trial 1 ended and Fandaniel's scheme became clear. I eye rolled whenever Zenos came back onscreen, though I think the scene in Garlemald with Jullus and Alisaie were good for him and lead directly into the finale.

I know what I just wrote and that I checked "too much screentime" but honestly he got a shade too little in EW. I DID dread/expect some kinda 11th hour teamup, though the "how" made me laugh incredulously. It worked in its weird way.

The final fight he still didn't understand my WoL but she was done and wanted to make sure it was finally over and he wouldn't darken her door or threaten anyone again. The solo duel is not unknown in other FF games, and I rather enjoyed it and the final punch-out at the end as they exhausted themselves entirely.

Mileage varies, depending on one's WoL, feelings on Zenos, and on that tropey duel of mirrored characters. I've also already spoken to the gripes about him being truly gone per Word of God and while one can do whatever one wants in fanfic, there's a lot of reason it does, in fact, work to leave his corpse at the edge of the universe and I'm OK with it. His part in the story, and how that affects Assumed Default Warrior of Light's self-understanding, is complete.

Like the Ascians, he's done. Interested to see what's up with his Avatar, since we also got nothing on his being a Reaper (could have used more on that too!!) as we move into the 6.x patches and build up of the next arc.

[tiredspacedragon]

B15 - fav year?

B15 Favourite Year: This is a tough question, because my answer changes depending on the context in which it's asked.

My favourite year in terms of aesthetics is almost certainly 2001. Its story is simplistic, and the sets themselves are outclassed almost immediately the following year. But there's something about the look of 01 that I simply adore. It goes hand-in-hand with Bionicle's initial concept: a semi-post-apocalyptic society of biomechanical beings on a tropical island, unaware that the gigantic, robotic body of their Great Spirit slumbers beneath. It's simple and effective, and you can see that concept reflected in the sets. They're both simplistic and complex, lacking the refinements of later years, but making up for it with wild designs united under a banner of strange. They're all just so odd-looking. Bizarre proportions, animals with treads for legs, asymmetrical limbs, exposed gears and hinges. It gives me the vibe of machinery adapting to a natural landscape, trying very hard to mimic real living creatures, but not quite there yet. It's delicious and it's a vibe that's so good I might just commandeer it for my own work. Lego seems to be done with it, after all. For now, anyway.

But when it comes to the sets themselves? Well, like I said, 2001 got outclassed very quickly. The sets got better and better with every year. Even into G2, which if you ask me gave us some of the best sets we ever got for Bionicle. Not necessarily my favourites, but among the best. My actual favourites, though? I think I have to go with 2009, which is...surprising. I really thought I was going to say 06, 07, or 08 here, but no, it's 2009. I like the characters from the previous years more, but in terms of raw set design, 2009 was the peak. Yeah, 04 is great for hitting that sweet spot between form and function that 2015 and 2016 then went on to perfect, but there's something about 09 that's just so lively and vibrant. 04 was plagued by clone sets, and the reboot years have their own issues, but 09 is where you can tell the designers really hit their stride with the Inika build. They knew how to use it to its fullest potential by that point. Every set told a story, conveying its character strongly while also tying back into Bionicle's elemental roots for the first time in a while. I will take some points off for some pieces being a little too hyper-specialized, i.e. Vastus' armour, Strakk's axe, etc, but damn, man, it all looks so good.

And then finally for story...this one's the hardest. Like everything else about Bionicle, I love it all, and I find it really difficult to break down the story into its composite years, because I see it as more than the sum of its parts. But if I have to pick one...I think 2006. 2007 and 2006 are a close race, mostly because 07 is effectively 06 But Underwater This Time. And I want to put 07 on top, I really do, because even though it is 2006 2: Scuba Boogaloo, it has a more unique setting, it has more impressive villains, it's the emotional climax of the entire Bionicle story, it lacks all the stupid things in 06 like the Nuva getting their asses kicked inexplicably. It has everything it should need to be the better year, and yet something about 2006 is more charming. Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but I can't help but feel like 07 is missing some special something that would secure it the number 1 spot. So the win goes to 2006: Island of Doom.

I hope those three distinct, equally long-winded answers are satisfactory. If not, and I still have to pick one winner...I'm going to surprise myself again and pick 2006, again. At least that's how I feel right now. It's got the perfect blend of personal nostalgia, fun sets, an aesthetic that is 01-but-slightly-to-the-left that is just perfect for me, multiple really dumb and really awesome marketing campaigns, and the online games, I didn't even mention those, but 06 killed it with the games, more than any other year. In my opinion, 2006 is pretty much about as BIONICLE as it gets. It's everything great about the series condensed and injected into a single year. It has its fair share of flaws, but I don't think those flaws outweigh the legion of things 2006 did right. My opinion may change in the future, but at least for now, my vote goes to 2006 for the best Bionicle year.

Unless we're talking about which year has the best licensed music, in which case it's 2007 by a mile. Crashed rules, I will not accept criticism over this.