#and I don't have any reason to feel this way it just came out of nowhere
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"I don't understand. Why isn't he getting up?"
"Wh- you killed him!"
"Don't be silly, death isn't real."
"You cast Finger of Death!"
"I cast Lightning Bolt too; they name spells after fake shit all the time."
"Lightning is real too!!"
"Oh come on. Next you'll be telling me color is a thing."
"...have you ever actually been outside this cavern?"
"What's a cavern?"
"It's where we are right now!"
"Odd name for it, but yes, of course I have. Been this way, that way, through there is a lovely group of giant spiders..."
"We, ah. Might have killed those on our way here."
"Don't be silly, death isn't real."
"...right. Where do you think we came from?"
"Eh, somewhere. Weird shit shows up all the time."
"I-"
"Oh! Your friend there startled me and it totally slipped my mind; would you care for some tea? I don't drink it myself, but I keep some on hand for guests."
"...okay, listen. These are the Caverns of Chaos. Everything in here is self-replenishing. The prevailing theory was that they existed to protect a central chamber. We've spent weeks down here slogging through unimaginable horrors to make it there and you're going to, what, play dumb?"
"Okay now you're just being rude. I am not dumb! There might not be much to do around here, but I do my best to keep my mind sharp. I'd like to see you figure out as much as I have about the ever-shifting layout of the world!"
"We did! That's how we got here! Have you never tried scrying the outside?"
"Scrying spells are some sort of prank, best I can tell; they never seem to do anything except give me a headache."
"Cast one up."
"I don't really want to give myself a-"
"Just do it! At least 2000 meters."
"Alright, but I don't see...what..."
"..."
"...colors?"
"Yeah, the whole dungeon is monochrome for some reason, we think-"
"Lightning?"
"Well, if there's a storm, I suppose-"
"Death?"
"...death?"
"There's...more like your friend."
"What do you mean-"
"Why aren't they moving?"
"I don't-"
"I'm moving. I can move. See? They look like me. Why aren't they moving?"
"They're- there are skeletons? We just came from-"
"Am I going to stop moving?"
"No, you-"
"Why isn't your friend moving?"
"..."
"...he's...'dead'. Isn't he. I 'killed' him."
"...listen, just calm down, we can-"
"Oh, yes, of course! I could never figure out what these spells for making 'un-dead' were for, but they must be for fixing this! I'll just-"
"NO!"
"But he's-"
"We're handling it!"
"No you're not! Whatever you're doing, it's not working."
"How can you-"
"You're trying to draw power from something that's not there. I've done it a few times, don't feel bad, it's a common mistake."
"I'm drawing power from my goddess! There's no way she's..."
"What is a goddess? Is it that little symbol you're carrying around? It doesn't seem to have any power in it."
"...it...why can't I feel her?"
"Just let me do it, I can-"
"We're not letting you turn Steve into some kind of undead abomination!"
"Wh- but he wasn't dead before!"
"He was alive, you stupid thing!"
"Right, not dead. Un-dead. I'll just make him un-dead again and then we can..."
"Why has she forsaken me?"
"We can..."
"Why won't she answer??"
"Color...lightning...death..."
audible weeping
"They're like me...why aren't they moving?"
"It's probably just the Caves messing with the divine connection, we should-"
"Should I not be moving?"
extended wailing
"Is un-dead not like 'alive'?"
"Listen, I know we didn't have this problem before, but-"
"Is there something wrong with being un-dead?"
"OF COURSE THERE IS, YOU STUPID UNDEAD THING! STEVE IS DEAD, THE GODDESS WON'T LISTEN TO ME, AND YOU'RE JUST...just..."
"...just what?"
"..."
"What am I?"
"..."
"WHAT AM I???"
the cavern shakes
"Listen, just calm down, we'll-"
"Why is he dead? Why are they all dead?"
"All wh-"
"The ones you made me scry on!"
"Oh my god, we forgot about-"
"Why aren't they moving??"
"We don't know! What else did you see?"
"Colors, lightning, death..."
"What else??"
"Colors, lightning, death..."
the lich collapses into a fetal position, rocking back and forth
"Listen, this is important, you need to-"
someone attempts to shake the lich. A sudden pulse of darkness slams them into the opposite wall.
"Colors, lightning, death..."
"Just calm down, we can-"
"GODDESS? WHERE ARE YOU??"
"Colors, lightning, death..."
the party leader buries her face in her hands. The healer weeps and wails. The lich, seemingly catatonic, continues mumbling to himself. This goes on for a while.
"..."
"Right. Okay. That's enough of this. We're taking Steve's body and leaving. We wouldn't have a chance against a lich in this state anyway. Keep trying to revive him as we go, we'll-"
"...lich?"
"Yes, yes, you don't know anything about anything, it's very funny, har har, we're done here. Go back to giving yourself headaches or whatever it is you do all day."
"I'm coming with you."
"...what?"
"You know what I am. You know about places that aren't 'caverns'. You know about colors, lightning, and death. I need to come with you."
"No offence, buddy, but you don't exactly seem like adventuring material."
"Please! Don't you need to find out why all those people are...'dead'? I can speak with dead, I guess, if it's a real thing."
"..."
"We are not taking this THING that killed Steve with us!"
"...we probably are going to need help with whatever is going on up there."
"He might be lying!"
the party leader gestures at the utterly guileless lich. The healer turns away.
"...fine."
"Thank you."
"Just...keep him away from me."
The party improvises a stretcher as the lich gathers up his meager possessions. A thick silence reigns as the group shuffles out the only exit, the lich awkwardly following at a distance.
"Wait, I forgot my maps-"
"We'll be fine. Just stay back there, okay? You've caused enough trouble for one day."
Nodding hesitantly, the lich steps over the threshold, leaving his cavern for the last time.
It turns out that the lich the adventurers had been hired to slay had never actually killed anyone before until the impulsive paladin of the group swung first. Now, as the healer tries to revive them, the rest have to calm the ancient undead mage down from what is undeniably a panic attack.
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sukeruton-san · 2 days ago
Text
A Coffee Heart pt 2
First Next
There's a coffee shop in Gotham that allowed him way more caffeine than Amity allowed. . .
He likes it here he can have 21 shots of expresso and all he got was an eye roll with some grumbling about a guy named Tim and twins, it's great!!
_______________________________________________
___________A table in the far corner______________
Do I have a twin. . .
No seriously does he have an unknown twin cause standing at the register is a guy that looks so much like him, but not exact enough to be a clone.
We both have pitch black hair the same thick and soft kind but his is infinitely more fluffy and wild like his Red Robin look, bright blue eyes with analytical intelligents and slightly unhinged but his are more icey in color and somehow more dead inside,both our body types are small soft and lean with muscle, small waist, and rounded in the hips, shoulders in mid range, but he has more curves with his shape he's also worriedly more skinny to an unhealthy degree even in my standards, face shapes similar but his are little more angle too it, hell even our voices are similar his being softer and a little deeper than mine
What made me really catch my attention was the fact that he's coffee intake is just as death inducing as mine maybe even more deadly. Hes eye bags are worse then mine from what I can see from here which is across the fucking room.
So I have reasonably concluded that he is my twin. I mean there was a popular rumor that Janite was pregnant with twins and gave one up to adoption as soon they came out with how big she got. Maybe it was true when I am look at someone who has to be related to me.
Though this begs the question where he has been the entire time, He may be visiting with how he has an Midwestern accent but he also holds himself like an Gotham native.
hnmmmmmm. . .
What's he doing?. . .
He's comING OVER HERE ABORT ABORT ABO-
_______________________________________________
"Um you mind if I sit here for a little all the tables are full"
Why he look familiar? Have I seen him before? . . .
Wait that's Timothy Drake-Wayne Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises, I only know him because of the research binge for the Gothampedia and Tucker's fanboying.
He probably wants some privacy. . .
Probably to relax a little bit and be normal if he's just drinking some coffee in the back corner, alone. He looks nervous as hell too probably don't want any unwanted attention brought to himself, I sure as hell know the feeling
" No it's fine you can sit here "
Is it just me or does he look a little eager
" Cool I'm Danny by the way " sitting and taking a sip of his coffee he notices that Tim seems to be in some sort of dilemma with himself finally he asked
" So you happen to be around and about here often?" He drinks his own coffee
" No, just found this little shop" he cringed a little "I was draged here because my parents wanted to work on something here"
Tim Slightly invested slightly worried " What are they working on?"
" They uhh want to 'help make Gotham more prepared for dangers that may arise in the haunting world' their words not mine"tilting his head slightly to the left "to be fair I think the bats have all that covered, no need to interfere and cause more problems than what it's worth" grumbling under his breath " Don't want them to get on the bats radar cuz they are doing reckless shit and I have to clean it up"
_______________________________________________
Tim is slightly panicking now who are his twins adopted parents and why are they wanting to 'prepared for dangers that may arise in the haunting world'?
What does the haunting world mean?
What does he mean by causing more problems?
Are his parents escaped midwestern rouges or something?
Does he need to do a welfare check on him as Red Robin?
Also he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear that last part but that's just making him more worried.
How reckless can they get?
How many times has he had to clean up their messes?
What does he do. . .
(Thank you for helping me with the idea for the next chapter @ghostlysuitnight )
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promptedwordsmith · 3 days ago
Note
I asked this request with someone else so you mayy or mayy not see the same request somewhere else. Depends on if you or the other person does write my request. It’s alright if you don’t wanna, write want you wanna to write. I just need this idea out of my system 🤣
MC is indicted that she is powerful. Good fighter, powerful evol where she can practically borrow someone else evol and the core in her heart. She much weaker for an unknown reason at the moment. But what if she wasn’t for a brief moment? 👀
What if MC physically fights the LaDS men without holding back 👀 like a scenario where a new wanderer shows up, puppets her or something, forcing the LaDS men to defend themselves. I need the angst and drama 😂 where the men are like “I don’t want to hurt you but you’re going kill me at this rate if I don’t do something.”
This keeps floating in my head, someone save me 🤣
OK soo I hope this is what you meant and it wasn't just me completely misunderstanding but the second I read this I just had to get started omg
I usually really don't like the whole "I'm going to save you by playing on our connection" trope but it suits this sort of story I think!
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Caleb
The battlefield was silent. Not the kind of silence that came from peace, but the suffocating, eerie kind—the moment before the storm.
Caleb stood at the center of it, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths, violet eyes locked on you. Or at least, the body that belonged to you.
But you weren’t there.
The moment the Wanderer had latched onto you, sinking its unseen claws into your mind, he’d known something was wrong. You had stiffened, your Evol flaring wildly for half a second before your entire stance changed. That was the first warning. The second had come when your gaze lifted to meet his—not with recognition, not with warmth, but with something empty.
And then you had attacked him.
His own gravity turned against him—the weight around his body fluctuating so rapidly that he nearly lost his footing. That alone had confirmed his worst fear. The Wanderer wasn’t just suppressing your will—it was using your Resonance against him.
You had stolen his Evol.
And now, he had to fight you.
But he couldn’t.
Not really. Not the way he fought others.
His hands clenched at his sides as he dodged another blast of gravitational force, feeling the way the air twisted and compressed around him. You were strong. Stronger than he had ever let himself acknowledge.
His mind was at war with itself. Every instinct screamed at him to fight back—to win—but the part of him that had spent lifetimes protecting you? That part was already losing.
Because how could he fight you, when all he wanted to do was save you?
You lunged forward, eyes still vacant, but your movements were clean, precise—yours, but also not yours. You weren’t just mimicking his power; you were enhancing it. His own gravity was being amplified, warped, turned into a weapon against him. It took everything he had to avoid the sudden shift in force, barely managing to stabilize himself before he was slammed downward with bone-crushing weight.
The ground cracked beneath him. His knees buckled.
Caleb grit his teeth.
If this had been anyone else—any other enemy—he would’ve ended this fight by now. But it wasn’t. It was you. And for the first time in his life, he was afraid.
Not of you. Never of you.
But of what he might have to do to stop this.
He tried to speak, voice raw. “You have to fight it.”
You didn’t respond.
You only lifted your hand, and the world collapsed inward.
The force struck fast—so much stronger than he expected, so much more precise. His body strained against the gravity pressing down on him, the weight overwhelming. If he had been anyone else, he would’ve been crushed.
And that’s when the realization hit him—this is what you feel.
Every time you resonate with him, every time you borrow his strength, every time you fight beside him, this is what your body endures. The sheer force of his Evol, amplified within you.
He had never really thought about it before. Never truly grasped just how much you took on when you fought at his side.
And now? Now that power was against him.
His arms trembled as he forced himself up. “I know you’re still in there.” His voice was hoarse, desperate. “I know you can hear me.”
Nothing.
His mind raced. He needed to think. He needed to find a way to reach you—not hurt you, never hurt you—but how?
His vision blurred at the edges. The gravitational pull you were using was unlike anything he had ever faced. Not even he had pushed his power to this extent before. His body screamed for relief, his Evol struggling against itself.
But then he saw it.
The slight hesitation. The way your fingers twitched—just barely, but enough.
It wasn’t the Wanderer controlling his Evol. It was you.
Somewhere inside, you were still fighting.
That was all he needed.
Caleb sucked in a sharp breath, shoving aside hesitation, pain—everything. His hands shot forward, fingers splaying wide, and for the first time in this fight—he didn’t resist your gravity.
He let it pull him in.
The instant he got close enough, he grabbed your wrist, forcing your Evol to connect with his. Forcing Resonance.
And that was all it took.
Because the moment your Evol touched his, he poured everything he had into it. Not just power. Not just control. But himself.
His memories. His thoughts. The lifetimes spent together.
The way you had always brought him back from the edge.
The way he had sworn to protect you—not just in this life, but in every life.
And then, for the first time, you hesitated.
A sharp breath escaped you, your entire body jolting as if something had just slammed into your mind. Your grip on your own power wavered—just enough for Caleb to take control.
Gravity twisted.
Not violently. Not in a way that would hurt you.
But in the way he always held you.
Steady. Unshakable. Safe.
Your body swayed, your breath stuttering, and then—then—your eyes flickered.
Your real eyes.
Not the Wanderer’s empty gaze.
Yours.
Recognition flashed across your face, confusion, panic—and then the force holding him down snapped.
Caleb barely had time to react before your legs gave out, and he caught you without hesitation, his arms wrapping around you, his Evol still steadying your weight.
For a long moment, neither of you moved.
Your breath was warm against his shoulder, your body trembling in his arms. He could feel your heartbeat—erratic, unsteady, but yours.
And that was all that mattered.
The fight was over.
He pressed his forehead to the side of yours, his grip tightening, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve got you.”
A shaky exhale. Your fingers curled into the fabric of his uniform. “I…” Your voice was hoarse. “I’m so sorry.”
Caleb exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “No. Don’t.” He pulled back just enough to look at you, his violet eyes burning. “You came back. That’s all that matters.”
And in that moment, he realized something—something that had been clear all along, but he had never let himself truly accept.
You weren’t just his partner.
You were his equal.
And no matter what, no matter how hard it got, he would always pull you back to him.
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Rafayel
The battlefield was ablaze.
Not with fire, but with chaos.
The air was thick with smoke and embers, Rafayel’s flames flickering and dancing wildly across the ruined ground. Yet, despite the searing heat, his hands trembled. His chest ached—not from exhaustion, not from injury, but from the sheer horror of what was happening.
Because it was you standing against him.
And it wasn’t you at all.
Your eyes, usually filled with warmth, were void of emotion. Your stance, once fluid and graceful, was rigid—unnatural. The Wanderer who had taken over your body had turned your Resonance against him, amplifying his flames, twisting them, making them stronger in ways he never intended.
And now, that power was aimed at him.
A burst of fire roared toward him, faster than he could react. The heat seared his skin as he barely managed to throw himself to the side, landing hard against the dirt. His breath came out ragged as he quickly pushed himself up, his eyes locking onto you once more.
"Damn it..." he whispered, swallowing hard.
He couldn’t fight you.
But you—no, the thing inside you—had no such hesitation.
You lunged. Faster than he expected, stronger than he remembered. And maybe that was the worst part. He had always known you were powerful, but now? With your Evol fully unleashed against him, amplified in ways he never thought possible, he realized just how devastatingly strong you truly were.
And he had never feared your strength before.
Not until now.
You moved like fire itself—wild, relentless. Each attack forced him to retreat, to defend, to dodge, rather than strike back. He couldn’t. Even as his instincts screamed at him to fight, to survive, his heart refused to let him lift his hands against you.
"Come on, Rafayel," a voice that wasn’t yours taunted from your lips, hollow and mocking. "Is this really all you’ve got?"
Another wave of flames erupted toward him, this time crackling with an intensity that made his stomach twist. He barely managed to counter, his own fire surging up to meet yours, but the moment the two collided, yours consumed his completely.
His eyes widened.
His own fire.
It didn’t even stand a chance.
"Shit—"
The explosion sent him flying backward, slamming into the side of a crumbling building. He gasped, pain shooting through his ribs. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the helplessness clawing at his chest.
He had to think. Had to find a way to get through to you.
But how?
If he tried to burn the Wanderer out, he’d be burning you.
If he held back, he’d die before he got the chance to save you.
He gritted his teeth.
No. There had to be a way.
Slowly, he pushed himself up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes locked onto you again—his love, his muse—possessed and wielded like a weapon against him.
His hands clenched into fists.
"I know you’re still in there." His voice was hoarse, desperate. "I know you can hear me."
But you didn’t answer.
The Wanderer tilted your head, smirking through your lips. "That’s sweet," they mocked. "But pointless."
And then you attacked again.
Faster. Stronger.
You disappeared in a flash of heat—only to reappear behind him. He barely turned in time to block the hit, his forearm crashing against yours. The sheer force of it made his bones rattle. Then came another, and another—strike after strike, relentless.
And Rafayel could do nothing but defend.
Not because he wasn’t strong enough.
But because he couldn’t—wouldn’t—hurt you.
Think, damn it!
The answer came in a flicker of memory.
Your Resonance.
You borrowed the power of others, but it was a two-way connection. If he could reach that part of you—if you were still in there, buried deep beneath the Wanderer’s control—then maybe, just maybe, he could pull you back.
But he had to get close.
Close enough to touch you.
Close enough to take a direct hit.
It was a gamble. A stupid, reckless gamble. But he was running out of time, and there was no way in hell he was going to lose you.
So, he let go of his defense.
Dropped his guard completely.
And when you lunged at him again, aiming straight for his heart—he didn’t move.
The moment your hand made contact with his chest, he reached out. Not with his fire. Not with his fists.
But with his Resonance.
A connection.
A tether.
Through the blinding heat, through the searing pain of your touch, he focused on you—the real you, trapped beneath layers of someone else’s will.
"Come back to me," he breathed. "Please."
For a moment—just a flicker—something changed.
Your body froze.
The grip on his chest loosened, fingers trembling against his shirt. The flames flickering in your eyes wavered—just for a second.
And in that second, he poured everything into the link between you.
Your Evol, your power, the resonance that had always bound you together. He reached for it. Pushed his own power into it. Made it something bigger, brighter, than the darkness that held you captive.
"You’re mine," he murmured, pressing his forehead against yours despite the heat. "Not theirs."
The Wanderer shrieked.
The connection between you burned.
And then—
A scream tore through the air. Your body convulsed, and suddenly, the fire turned inward.
Not his. Yours.
Flames erupted around you, swallowing your form in a wild blaze—brighter, hotter than anything he’d ever seen. And then—
Silence.
When the flames finally died, you collapsed against him, body trembling, breath coming in ragged gasps.
But your eyes—
Your eyes were yours again.
"Rafayel..." Your voice was weak, hoarse, but it was enough.
His breath hitched, arms tightening around you as he pulled you close, pressing desperate kisses to your hair, your forehead, anywhere he could reach.
"You scared the hell out of me," he whispered, voice shaking. "Don’t you ever do that again."
A weak laugh left your lips as you buried your face against his chest. "Not exactly something I planned, you know."
He let out a breathless chuckle, relief washing over him like a tidal wave.
You were back.
And he would never let you go again.
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Sylus
The night was warm, but Sylus felt nothing but cold.
He stood across from you, his crimson eyes narrowed, his breath steady—but his heart pounding.
You weren’t you.
Not really.
A Wanderer had taken your body, stolen your will, and twisted it into something unrecognizable. The way you moved—precise, calculating, almost inhuman—was proof enough. Your usual grace had been sharpened into something unnatural, something colder than he could stand to see.
He had fought countless enemies before. He had cut down traitors, eliminated threats, and broken those who dared to stand against him. But this?
This was the first time his hands trembled before a fight had even begun.
You raised your hand, palm out, and Sylus braced himself. A flicker of energy crackled around your fingers—his energy, twisted by your Resonance Evol.
The Wanderer inside you smirked.
“Your hesitation is touching, Sylus,” they said, your voice not quite right. “But it will be your downfall.”
Then, with a flick of your wrist, the world ignited.
A blast of pure, searing energy surged toward him—his own power, amplified and turned against him. He barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as the ground where he once stood erupted in a violent shockwave.
Damn it.
He knew your Evol made you powerful, but now—now—he was realizing just how dangerous it was. With your Resonance, you weren’t just using his ability. You were enhancing it. Making it faster. Stronger.
Making it better than he ever could.
Sylus exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he steadied himself.
“Darling,” he said, his voice calm despite the ache in his chest, “if you wanted a fight, you could’ve just asked.”
The Wanderer inside you laughed. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. You were always going to lose.”
You lunged.
Sylus barely dodged in time, his coat billowing as he twisted away. Another blast of energy, another near-miss. He felt the heat graze his cheek, singeing his skin. Tch. That was his power. Amplified. Used against him.
And worse?
He still couldn’t bring himself to attack you.
Because even though your body was moving against him, even though you were fighting with deadly precision—it was still you.
And the thought of hurting you was the first thing in his life that truly terrified him.
But this was no longer just about him.
He had to get you back.
Sylus moved with purpose, dodging, analyzing. He needed a plan—a way to break the Wanderer’s hold without breaking you.
But the problem was you were making it impossible.
You weren’t just strong—you were devastating. Every attack came faster, sharper. His own Evol, when amplified by yours, was far more than he could handle. It was overwhelming, relentless.
A pillar of energy surged forward. He braced, crossing his arms as the impact slammed into him, forcing him back. He barely stayed on his feet, his boots skidding against the cracked ground.
You’re too strong like this.
And that realization—it shook him to his core.
He had always known you made him stronger. Had always known that together, you were an unstoppable force.
But now? Now that you were standing against him instead of beside him?
He wasn’t sure if he could win.
And worse—he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
“Come on, Sylus,” the Wanderer taunted through your lips. “You always plan for every possible outcome, don’t you? You must’ve thought about this scenario.”
He clenched his jaw. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
A smirk. “Oh? You really mean to say you never once imagined what would happen if your pretty little Resonance Evol turned against you?”
Sylus said nothing.
Because the truth was—no.
He had never imagined this.
Because in every scenario he had ever planned, in every possibility he had ever considered—
You were always with him.
The next strike was the closest yet.
A blast of energy—too fast, too precise. He barely managed to counter, the force sending him stumbling back. He could feel the bruises forming beneath his clothes, the sting of burned skin where your attack had hit.
And still, he hesitated.
“Why won’t you fight me, Sylus?” the Wanderer hummed, tilting your head. “Afraid you’ll lose?”
His eyes locked onto yours.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said simply.
The Wanderer clicked their tongue. “Oh, but I’ll hurt you.”
You raised your hand again.
And Sylus knew—this time, he wouldn’t be able to dodge.
But at the last second—you hesitated.
It was brief, almost imperceptible, but Sylus saw it. A flicker of recognition. A second where your body tensed—but your fingers curled inward, as if trying to resist.
You were still in there.
Sylus inhaled sharply. That’s it. Hold on, darling. Hold on just a little longer.
If you were still there, he could reach you.
He just had to risk it all.
So, instead of dodging—
He stepped forward.
The Wanderer sneered. “Giving up already?”
Sylus didn’t answer.
He just closed the distance—and grabbed your wrist.
The moment his fingers closed around your skin, he poured his energy into you.
Not to fight.
Not to hurt.
But to resonate.
If your Evol worked through Resonance, through matching the energy of those around you—then all he had to do was flood you with something stronger than the Wanderer’s control.
And there was nothing in this world stronger than his need to bring you back.
Your body stiffened. The energy in your hand faltered, flickering unsteadily between raw power and something uncertain. Your breathing hitched.
Sylus tightened his grip.
“Come back to me,” he murmured, his voice commanding. “I know you’re still in there.”
For a second—nothing.
Then—
A sharp gasp.
Your eyes, wide and yours again for just a moment, locked onto his. Your lips parted, but no sound came out. A violent shudder wracked through your body.
Sylus didn’t let go.
“You are mine,” he said, his voice a whisper, but carrying the full weight of his soul. “No one else gets to have you. Not them. Not anyone.”
A strangled cry tore from your throat. The Wanderer fought—but Sylus was stronger.
Because he knew you.
He knew your energy, your heart, your soul.
And no matter what—nothing could ever make him let you go.
The moment the Wanderer’s hold snapped, you collapsed against him.
Sylus caught you immediately, cradling you against his chest, his arms locking around you like a vice.
For a long moment, neither of you spoke.
Then, weakly, you whispered, “You’re bleeding.”
Sylus let out a breathless laugh, pressing his forehead against yours. “You should see yourself, darling. You made quite the mess.”
You gave a weak chuckle. “Guess that means I won?”
His grip tightened. “Never.”
Then, softer—
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
You nodded against his chest, and Sylus knew—
No matter what happened next, you would never fight alone again.
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Xavier
The world around you spun. The cold, sterile air of the facility clung to your skin, and your heartbeat pounded against your chest as though it wanted to break free. You could feel the weight of your body, but it felt distant, as if you were no longer fully in control of it.
Your breath quickened as the world distorted, everything around you slipping out of focus. The pain in your temples only made the sensation worse, a sharp jolt of nausea sinking into your gut. It was as though your entire being was split in two, and one of those halves was being pulled in a direction you didn’t want to go.
You fought it, clenching your fists in an attempt to regain control, but it was no use. The foreign force inside you took hold with an iron grip, seizing every inch of you, weaving itself into your core until it became you. The invasive presence swirled within, a dark, malicious energy.
There was a flash of movement—Xavier. His silver hair caught the light, and his blue eyes found you with a look of deep concern. His steps faltered as he came closer, his gaze narrowing, confused. But the moment you met his eyes, the clarity of what was happening hit him all at once.
“No,” he whispered. The word trembled from his lips. “No, no, no…”
It was you. It was your body, but not your mind. Not your will. You weren’t in control anymore.
You were a prisoner inside your own skin.
“Xavier!” you tried to shout, but the voice that came out of your mouth wasn’t yours. It was cold, detached, and devoid of all warmth. A hollow echo of what you had once been.
Xavier’s eyes widened as his instincts kicked in. He knew you. He knew you, and this was wrong. This wasn’t the person he’d fought beside, laughed with, shared so many quiet moments. This wasn’t the person who’d trusted him with their heart, body, and soul.
But you weren’t completely gone. He could see it in the way your lips trembled, the subtle flicker of emotion beneath the cold mask the Wanderer had woven over you. But it wasn’t enough.
You were still trapped, still in that dark corner of your mind, but the Wanderer’s will was too powerful.
The presence inside you stirred, pushing against your resistance. Xavier took a careful step forward, his hand raised in a calming gesture, as though trying to reach the real you beneath the enemy’s control.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Just fight, okay? Fight it, please. I’ll find a way to get you back, I swear.”
But you didn’t respond—not with your words, not with any recognition of him. The enemy within you was far more cunning, pushing you forward, taking control of your every movement. You could feel it sinking deeper into you, exploiting the part of your mind that resonated with Xavier’s light. The resonance you shared, once a source of strength, now became a weapon against him, turning his own power into something he had to fight against.
It was then you saw it: the horrible realization in his eyes as he looked at you. He couldn’t bring himself to harm you, not even to defend himself, not when he knew what you’d become.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands, but you saw the struggle in his gaze. The anguish was raw, suffocating. He was trying to figure it out. He was trying to find a way to save you both.
The resonance between you and Xavier, the bond that had always strengthened you both in every situation, now felt like an anchor pulling you deeper into a sea of chaos. You could feel his power around you—surging, lighting up the space—but now it was a threat. A threat that made you feel like you were suffocating.
“No,” you whispered, fighting with every ounce of your being to reach him. “Don’t… hurt… me…”
But the Wanderer inside you wasn’t willing to let go. It twisted your body, forcing your hand up, and you could see Xavier’s eyes flicker with the realization that you were about to hurt him.
With a sudden surge of power, the resonance inside you flared to life—Xavier’s own Evol, manipulated by the enemy, twisted around you, harnessed into a blinding ball of light. The space around you erupted, and Xavier was forced back, his own power ripping through the air to fight against yours.
“Xavier—!” you screamed again, but the voice that came out of your mouth was filled with malice, not your own.
You didn’t know if he could hear the real you anymore. You couldn’t even feel the pulse of his Evol flowing into you as it used to. He was too far away now. He was so far away.
But Xavier didn’t back down. Even as the ball of light surged toward him, he didn’t flinch. His Evol blazed brighter, trying to counteract the resonance that had been corrupted. He didn’t understand it entirely, didn’t realize the full depth of what was happening—but he could feel you. He could feel that you were still somewhere in there, buried beneath the surface.
The battle raged on, your body moving against your will, fighting against Xavier. Every strike he blocked only caused him more pain. His own power—the very light that had once been his most treasured ally—felt oppressive, draining. He was fighting with everything he had, trying to reach you, but you were so far gone.
Xavier’s voice cracked with pain. “Please… come back to me.”
In that moment, everything froze. Time seemed to stretch as you felt the pulse of his light reach out, gentle yet forceful, like a lifeline in the storm. He wasn’t giving up. He refused to give up on you.
Somewhere deep inside, something inside you stirred.
The Wanderer’s control over you flickered, just for an instant. And in that moment, you were able to reach him.
You couldn’t speak, but you tried—your hand, shaking and weak, reached out toward Xavier. You were trying to call him back, trying to fight the darkness that had consumed you. But the Wanderer still lingered, still pressing down on you.
Xavier saw it—he saw the fight in you. He saw that you were still there.
And that was enough.
“Hang on,” he whispered, his voice full of promise and pain. “I’ll get you back. I swear I will.”
His Evol flared one last time, combining with the resonance that had always existed between you. This time, your light—the one that connected you both—fought back the darkness with a power neither of you had ever felt before.
The battle raged between the two of you, but this time, Xavier’s light pushed through the darkness, finally forcing it back. Your own resonance fought through the haze, giving you control once again.
And as you regained yourself, breathless and broken, you saw Xavier before you—his blue eyes filled with relief, but also the weight of everything he had just fought against.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to.
Instead, he pulled you close, holding you tightly as if afraid that if he let go, you’d slip away again.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. But even through the pain, there was nothing but tenderness in his touch.
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Zayne
Zayne could feel the cold creeping up his spine long before he saw you.
The battlefield was a chaotic mess of fractured ice and broken stone, an eerie quiet hanging in the air. You had been acting strange earlier—off, distant—but he never could have predicted this. Never could have anticipated what was coming.
Your eyes were distant now, completely blank as you stood across from him, an uncharacteristic stillness in your posture. A thick chill hung in the air, and the normally comfortable bite of his ice Evol now seemed like something far more dangerous—like something hostile.
“Y/N…” His voice was tentative, unsure. His heart pounded in his chest. He knew you. Knew you better than anyone else. So, why were you standing there, so calm, so detached?
You didn’t respond.
A dark energy, one Zayne couldn’t quite explain, pulsed beneath the surface, swirling through the air like a storm, wrapping around you. It wasn’t your power—he could sense that. But what came next? That, he hadn’t expected.
You raised your hand. Your own power—Resonance—flared to life, but it wasn’t the soft, gentle way it usually did. It wasn’t amplifying his power, it wasn’t supporting him like it always did. No. This time, your Resonance vibrated in sync with Zayne’s own ice, amplifying it and twisting it to your will.
And with a sudden burst of energy, Zayne watched in horror as his own ice began to materialize around you—not as defense, but as a weapon.
It was his Evol, the one he had honed and perfected for years, the one he trusted more than anything. And now, it was being used against him. His own creation.
“Y/N!” He yelled, his voice strained with both disbelief and desperation. But you were too far gone, the energy in your eyes too overwhelming.
Without warning, you thrust your hand forward, and the ice surged at him with the force of a tidal wave. Zayne barely had time to react, his body moving on instinct as he threw up his own defenses, sending a surge of ice to block the incoming attack. But it wasn’t enough.
You were using his own power against him. Every movement, every strike was amplified by your Resonance, making the ice you conjured stronger, faster, sharper. He barely managed to dodge one attack as the ice flew past him, slicing through the air and leaving deep gashes in the ground. His heart raced.
“I won’t hurt you…” Zayne muttered to himself, his hands shaking as he summoned more ice to defend himself. He could barely keep up with you now. It wasn’t just the power, it was the control. His Evol had always been something that was intrinsically tied to his soul, his emotions, but now, in your hands, it was alien, a force completely out of his control.
And worse—he didn’t know how to fight you without hurting you. The thought alone tore him apart.
You stepped forward, the ice swirling around you like a storm. It rose from the ground, wrapping around your body like armor, and you moved toward him with terrifying speed, your eyes fixed on him with a distant, eerie look.
Zayne didn’t want to fight you. But you weren’t giving him a choice.
With a cry of frustration, Zayne shot a beam of ice at you, but you deflected it effortlessly, sending shards of his own ice right back at him. One piece grazed his arm, leaving a trail of blood beneath the frozen surface. He winced but didn’t let up, his gaze locked on yours as he took another step back.
"Please," he whispered, voice ragged with emotion. "You have to fight this."
But you didn’t respond, didn’t show any sign of recognition. You just continued to move toward him, the ice in your hands growing more elaborate with each passing moment. A large block of ice shot at him with blinding speed, and Zayne barely managed to dodge it, but he was starting to feel the weight of the battle. His own powers were being turned against him, and he couldn’t keep up.
His breath came in shallow bursts, and his mind raced. There had to be something he could do, something to stop you from using his own Evol against him. He needed you to break free from this—needed you back.
His eyes searched the ground for something—anything—that could help, but all he could see was the snow and ice he had created. Your resonance, your amplification of his ice, was making everything around them feel like a frozen prison.
Then it hit him.
You were using his ice, yes, but you were still you. There was still a trace of your presence beneath the surface, beneath the coldness and the power you now wielded. The way your movements weren’t just about destruction, but about something else—something familiar.
The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning: He could still reach you.
Zayne closed his eyes for just a moment and focused, pulling at the ice around him, not in anger or fear, but with something deeper—something he had never relied on before. He wasn’t just using his Evol for defense. He wasn’t trying to trap or fight you.
He was trying to connect.
A wave of ice rippled through the battlefield, but it wasn’t just a defense. It was a gesture, a soft and delicate thing, like the ice seals he had carved for you when you were children. He called upon the memory of that moment, the warmth in the act, the love behind it.
Slowly, carefully, he shaped the ice into something, a symbol. A seal. A small ice sculpture, just like the ones he had made for you all those years ago. It was perfect. Beautiful. Simple.
The ice seemed to slow around him, the energy flickering. He could feel it—the resonance between the two of you, so faint now, but it was still there.
He placed the ice seal on the ground, hoping that this small act would remind you of who you were.
"Please," Zayne whispered. "Remember me."
The ice around you hesitated. The coldness seemed to crack, breaking apart like a frozen surface thawing in the warmth of the sun. You froze in place, your hand trembling as you reached for the ice seal he had created for you.
For a long moment, nothing happened. But then—slowly, so slowly—the coldness in your eyes began to melt, replaced by a softness he had longed to see again. You dropped to your knees, gasping as the power began to drain from you, leaving you breathless but you.
Zayne’s heart swelled as he rushed to your side, pulling you into his arms.
“I’m here,” he whispered against your hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Zayne allowed himself to breathe. The battle was over. And you were back.
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yandere-sins · 2 days ago
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Yan-Poll #31
[Continuation of Poll #24]
"I'm home!"
Your captor's voice sounded unusually chipper after a long day at work. Taking a sip from your cup of tea, you barely hummed in acknowledgment, despite knowing that the peace and quiet you had enjoyed reading your book would be over now. Now, it was time for the usual song and dance, where they'd do their best to make you show them any kind of affection and attention while you simply tried to ignore them without pushing your luck.
The shuffling in the hallway went on for a while as they took off their coat, but instead of coming to see you right away, you heard their footsteps reach an abrupt stop—and you could guess why. You had left everything like it was before for them to find. The computer on standby, the lights in your captor's office out, and the door slightly ajar. It was only a question of who-staged-it-better, and whose suspicions would be confirmed in the end.
"Have you been to my office?" they asked, standing in the doorway to the living room. You barely looked up from your book despite already having lost the sentences you read last and just pretending to be busy.
"Hm? Oh, I saw you left the door open, but I thought you just forgot to lock it, so I left it that way."
Feeling their body move behind you, you tried your best to stay nonchalant and uninterested. However, the tension affected you, causing your pulse to rise and your body to cramp up. You took another sip of your cup, watching their expressionless face in the reflection of your drink. Your captor's weight leaned onto the backrest, shifting you slightly backward, but even so, you pretended not to care. Not even their hand brushing through your hair, playing with the ends, and rubbing them between their fingers made you falter.
"So you didn't go in?"
"Nope," you replied, popping the p deliberately. "What's for dinner?"
"Weren't you curious at all?"
"Should I? I thought it was an office. The last thing I want to waste time on is papers and documents. How about we order some of those fried vegetables we had last week? I am craving the garlic dip they came with."
"If I go up to the computer, I won't find any signs of you tampering with it?"
Taking a deep breath, you let it out slowly, trying to sound annoyed and disappointed in your captor that he'd keep accusing you. The truth was, you needed a few extra seconds to think carefully about what you were about to say. Because you had gone there. You unlocked the computer, even though you decided not to continue using it at the last second, and locked it again immediately.
Technically, there should be no evidence that you were on it. Unless your captor burst out his detective set to find your fingerprints, they wouldn't know you touched the PC. You only barely listened when they told you about their job. Still, you knew they didn't work in a tech-savvy field. You doubted they had much experience with which they could detect you logging in and out of their computer very quickly.
Still, telling the truth before they found out what you did could grant you some mercy... or it would result in punishment regardless of whether they found out or not. But not telling them, only to fall for the trap, seemed just as dangerous. You contemplated, seconds passing by. There was not much you could do other than decide right there and then.
(Reasoning and discussions welcome! ♥)
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shappoxs · 7 hours ago
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You guys just can't acknowledge the actual reasons people dislike TimBer and exaggerate or cherry-pick specific obviously stupid arguments.
I'll start by saying, ship what you want. There's nothing inherently immoral about TimBer. I make jokes, but I'm definitely not "Anti-Timber," but it gets to a point where you guys are just going-
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Most TimBer "haters" are not these caricatures you guys like to paint us as. There are genuine reasons to dislike the ship.
1. It's genuinely bad for both characters. Queer men are allowed to have flaws, too! Yet they've stripped both Tim and Bernard of all of them and brushed any past mistakes under the rug.
Tim and Bernard were not good friends before 2020, and instead of giving them an interesting character arc, the writers just retconned all that and are trying to convince us they were besties.
2. Having Tim and Stephsplit up off-panel is already a disservice to a decades old relationship and Steph as a character. Especially because almost immediately her next appearance is as an accessory to TimBer, to tell the audience, "Actually, you should like them because she would want you to." When that's bullshit!
I'm not saying she should be jealous, but she has every right to be upset at Tim. The fact they did the exact same thing to Ariana, another one of Tim's exes who he hurt, turning her into a one-dimensional TimBer fangirl, feels very misogynistic.
They don't have to be jealous, but don't minimise them, and allow them to have reasonable reactions.
3. The way TimBer was handled feels more biphobic than the average fan reaction. This may be a personal interpretation, but so many moments feels like they're trying to belittle Tim's past relationships with women because he's with a man now. Which pisses me off. TimBer's chemistry comes from us being told about it, but I'm supposed to believe it was more meaningful than what he had with Steph?
I want to see my bisexual characters BE bisexual in ways that aren't stereotypical, but there are ways they could've done that without throwing Steph into a trash bin. As a TimKon shipper, I would be just as pissed if this same scenario played out with Kon instead of Bernard.
Honestly, I don't even want TimKon OR TimSteph if that's how the writers treat these characters. Let them bastardise Tim and Bernard just leave Kon and Steph out of this 😭
4. Most of the "he should cheat" takes are jokes or coming from people who haven't actually read the comics/comic where he actually cheats. Tim only cheated once iirc, but there is still valid criticism to be made about how flawless he's written now that he's with a man.
TimSteph's greatest strength is that we get to see them be a real teenage couple, they both make mistakes but it's watching them grow from them that matters most.
5. I'm fine with platonic TimSteph, but they clearly don't actually value their friendship. I'm also bisexual and grew up a Tim Drake fan, I am the last person who'd want his bisexuality to be erased, but I'd rather them actually do it justice than shrug my shoulders and slurp up any slop they feed us because it's gay.
Finally, I'm sorry if any of this came off as mean. I always try to be respectful even when I'm making jokes or disagreeing with someone, but I'm not perfect. Know that this is a critique of the ship and certain writing choices, not people who just innocently like TimBer.
The mental gymnastics people do to hate timber should be studied under a microscope.
The fuck you mean he is bad bisexual rep because he is dating a man… and how does that makes him gay???? Have you ever talked to a bisexual person???
“Oh it makes less of his past relationships” how?? How?!? Is he not allowed to be infatuated with his current partner? Should he continue pining after his past relationships even tho he is dating someone else???
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paigeswiftsea · 3 days ago
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Why Star Stable Online Has Lost it's Players (And How to Fix It) (An Analysis)
Introduction
I've been playing Star Stable Online (SSO) for a long time—around 8-9 years. My older sister introduced me to it during our shared horse phase, and for years, it was an exciting escape that we were both obsessed with. We eagerly awaited new main quests, wondering what the next big story update would bring.
But lately? The magic is gone.
Some might say it’s just nostalgia, that I’ve outgrown the game. While there may be some truth to that, I believe SSO itself has changed in ways that stripped it of its former charm. I used to fight my sister for our family computer just to get my one hour of gameplay each day. Now? I barely log in, only returning for big updates like Christmas, the Medieval Festival, and the Home Stable revamp. I still participate in the fandom and write fanfiction, meaning I engage with the lore—but the actual gameplay? It’s boring.
After reflecting on this, I realized that SSO has lost what made it special. The intrigue, mystery, and excitement have faded, leaving behind a game that feels repetitive, predictable, and uninspired.
And the worst part? It didn’t have to be this way.
The Main Questline
One of the biggest reasons why SSO has lost its mystique is the shift in the main questline.
Back in the earlier years of the game, the main story felt like a real adventure. It had danger, secrecy, and high stakes.
For example, the dark core quests, saving Justin, meeting Fripp for the first time, hell even the opening screen.
They got rid of the first opening screen for a mediocre riding island tutorial. It also contradicts the plot because Lisa and Anne are supposed to be missing at the beginning of the game, yet there they are, welcoming a random new rider to the island? It doesn't make any sense.
And again, The quests now all follow the same formula of:
“Oh no, something bad happens! Quick, MC, do all the work! We believe in you! Yay, friendship! The Dark Riders scowl and leave. Quest complete.”
There’s no real challenge, no real mystery, and barely any tension. The game has become too afraid to put the player in real danger, so everything feels safe and shallow.
Even the Dark Riders don’t feel like villains anymore. They show up, taunt you, and then leave. They don’t feel like an actual threat.
Dark Core? Completely incompetent. The same organization that once kidnapped and brainwashed Justin and had an eerie, powerful presence now feels like a joke.
The stakes are gone. The story is dragging. And at this rate, we’ll still be waiting for the final battle in 2040.
Nothing ever feels genuinely difficult or tense.
Where’s the mystery? Where’s the challenge? Why does it feel like nothing truly matters anymore?
Even the Fort Maria quests, which should have been an exciting addition, were a letdown. Instead of diving deep into the Keepers of Aideen’s past or discovering secrets and lore, we got... daily quests that never gave us any new lore, just MC doing all the work, again. The primaeval tree was interesting I admit, but it also felt like it came out of nowhere, and I still don't really remember the point of those quests. The only interesting parts of those quests to me were opening the portal, which then led to more daily quests while SSE came up with more filler.
Catering to a Younger Audience Backfired
SSO has always been a game for kids, but in the past, it never talked down to its audience. The earlier quests had a level of complexity and emotional weight that made them enjoyable for all players.
Now? It feels like SSE has sacrificed everything that made the story compelling in favor of appealing to a younger audience in the most uninspired way possible.
But here’s the thing: you can make a game appealing to kids without making it boring for older players.
Plenty of games manage to be engaging for both younger and older audiences—think of Minecraft, Pokémon, even certain Roblox games (Dress To impress?). These games balance fun and accessibility while still providing enough depth for older players to enjoy.
Meanwhile, SSO is stuck in an identity crisis. It doesn’t know if it wants to be a fun horse game, an epic fantasy adventure, or a horse shopping simulator. And instead of balancing all of these elements, it’s failing at all three.
The Economy Is Awful (And It’s Driving Players Away)
Let’s be honest: SSO’s in-game economy is a disaster.
Jorvik Shillings are practically useless because items are priced absurdly high, making it impossible for non-Star Riders to afford anything. Even Star Riders struggle because shillings are capped, meaning if you’re maxed out, you’re forced to waste shillings or spend Star Coins. This also doesn't help when you're a free player, and every single item is 9990 shillings.
Star Coins are ridiculously overpriced, and SSE knows it. Prices have gone up, but the value of what you get has gone down. New horses are more expensive than ever, tack and clothes are absurdly priced, and with weekly Star Coin allowances being so low, the game constantly pressures you into spending real money.
No one wants to feel broke in a game. We log in to escape reality, not to feel like a struggling stablehand who can’t even afford a pair of boots.
SSE seems to think they can make more money by increasing Star Coin dependency. But guess what? If the game was actually fun, people would be happy to spend money on it. Instead, more and more players are quitting because it’s just not worth investing in anymore.
SSO’s Most Successful Moments Were Events—So Why Did They Get Rid of Them?
Think about the most active times on SSO in 2024—probably Christmas, main quest updates, and the Equestrian Festival.
What do these all have in common? Limited-time events.
People log in for seasonal events because they’re fun. But instead of keeping beloved events like:
The Birthday Festival
The April Fools Car Prank (ICONIC)
The Pride/Cloud Kingdom Event
Midsummer Festival
Easter
…SSE removed them in favor of shopping/bazaar updates and the permanent Medieval Festival.
Why? Why take away the things that made the game feel alive? Seeing Jorvik change with the seasons, experiencing new limited-time adventures, and collecting fun event-exclusive items were some of the best parts of the game. Removing them just makes Jorvik feel static and lifeless.
New Owners
In 2021 I believe, The game was sold or bought out, something along those lines ( feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that). And I found this quote from a website about an interview from Stacy Place and CEO Johan Sjöberg. (This is from 2021 so things may have changed but I doubt it.)
“Players want things to do, and the story has to be continued,” Stacy agrees. “There’s definitely a hunger for more endgame content, and we want to deliver that.” Stacy explains that there has not really been a dedicated “Quest Team” at SSO recently, and that as a result, the people who could have been working on that, would keep having other tasks assigned to them. “It’s always about juggling resources,” Stacy goes on, “between new horses, events and updating environments and character designs, it’s been difficult to get resources allocated for the creation of new quests.” But here too, the future is looking promising: “I actually have a meeting on that later today!” Stacy adds. “We need to move this forward in a healthy way.” That does not mean we should expect fewer new horse releases in the future though. “Horses are our main business. They are what keeps the game afloat – and we take them seriously!” Most recently, Star Stable has added the updated American Paint Horse and additional coat variations for six popular breeds.
This just confirms what a lot of players have already suspected—SSO has prioritized horse releases over actual gameplay content. It’s not even a secret anymore; they outright admit that they haven’t had a dedicated Quest Team for a while.
The problem isn’t just a lack of quests—it’s that the entire game feels stagnant because everything revolves around pumping out new horses. Yes, horses are the game’s main source of revenue, but without meaningful content, why should players stay?
They’re acknowledging the issue, which is something, but words don’t mean much if we don’t see real change. A meeting about quest development is great, but will it actually lead to consistent story updates? Or is it just another vague promise to keep players hopeful?
And the fact that they’re still saying, “Horses are our main business” just reinforces that new breeds will always take priority over everything else. That’s not inherently bad—but it shows that story progression, worldbuilding, and forgotten areas like Dino Valley will always come second.
At the end of the day, if the game keeps prioritizing short-term profits (horse releases) over long-term player engagement (quests, events, and actual reasons to keep playing), more players will leave.
They need to have dedicated teams for each sector of the game, not people who work on everything all at once. Quests, horses, other game updates like area updates, character updates need to be specific groups where a team focuses solely on one thing at a time.
Later in the article they rephrase this by saying,
"An addendum, because this part of the article appears to be misunderstood by many readers: That there hasn't been a dedicated quest team does not mean that nobody at SSO has been working on Quests in recent months and years. “When we say we don’t have a ‘dedicated quest team’, we mean that we haven’t always been structured to have a team that specifically works only on quests,” Stacy clarifies in a follow-up email to this article. “Instead, we have multiple teams that work on delivering the game. So the team working on quests doesn’t only work on quests, which are complex and touch many other areas of development.”
This just further highlights the core issue—SSO doesn’t have structured teams dedicated to specific aspects of the game. Instead of having a Quest Team, a Horse Team, an Environment Team, and so on, they have a general development team that has to juggle multiple responsibilities at once.
And this lack of structure shows in the game itself. Quest updates are slow and inconsistent, while new horses get released like clockwork. Environmental updates happen occasionally, but areas like Dino Valley and the old abandoned doors remain untouched. Character updates have been sporadic, with some NPCs looking modern and polished while others still look like they belong in 2015. (long necks anyone? :0)
Their explanation makes it clear: quests are not a priority. If they were, SSO would have a team dedicated solely to working on them, instead of splitting development resources across multiple tasks.
If they really want to fix the game, they need to stop treating everything like an afterthought and start forming specialized teams:
A Quest Team to work exclusively on new storylines, side quests, and meaningful updates.
A Horse Team to continue designing new breeds and variations.
An Environment Team to focus on updating neglected areas like Dino Valley and Epona that don't change the whole game, like Steve's farm, Silverglade village, and the vineyard.
An Events Team to bring back beloved seasonal content and add new, engaging activities.
Without this, we’re going to keep seeing slow, repetitive updates where new horses come first and everything else falls to the wayside. The game needs balance, not just new models.
Speaking of new models,
One of the biggest issues is that our character model doesn’t match the NPC models at all. Some NPCs still have the old, low-poly look, while our characters have a completely different art style and proportions. This makes us look like giants compared to some NPCs, and the contrast is jarring.
SSO shouldn’t have updated the player model without also updating the NPCs. It creates an unpolished experience where the game feels disjointed. If they’re going to revamp one part of the game, they need to follow through and make everything cohesive.
And while body diversity is great, the range of body types still feels limited. There’s no truly skinny option, and while it’s not the biggest issue, true inclusivity means representing everyone. If they want to keep improving, they should expand the customization options—not just body types, but also things like facial features, hairstyles, and animations to make the character feel more natural. And it doesn't help that they promised more to come with the first character update which was when? almost 2 full years ago? They are dropping the ball in multiple areas.
Marketing
SSE does not market as the actual game. It advertises fun and adventure, a silly game for kids when in reality it is nothing to that. It doesn't give that magic or mystery of the old ones. I went and found commercials from different years. There's this old one, and then this short one on youtube I found. Now, let's compare.
That short is so fuckass. like why are they making Darko into a redditor? Plus, it gives major spoilers as well so like if it reaches someone who was thinking about playing the game, it's like an automatic spoiler.
has a completely different tone. It presents the game as an immersive adventure with mystery, danger, and excitement. The stakes feel high, and it showcases the fantasy elements in a way that makes Jorvik feel like a living, magical world.
This shift in marketing reflects the identity crisis SSO is currently facing. It used to be a horse adventure game with strong storytelling, but now it’s marketed as a simple kids' game, which doesn’t align with its actual gameplay or longtime audience. This disconnect contributes to player dissatisfaction and dwindling engagement.
Let's also discuss the tik tok account. I think any tiktoker will remember the pocket Sabine series? The marketing team series they post on tiktok as well are super dumb and cringy as well. Maybe this is really nitpicky, but I think their marketing team should focus a lot more on listening to feedback. This shift misrepresents what SSO once was—an immersive adventure with high stakes and rich storytelling. And, by downplaying the fantasy elements, the marketing alienates the older audience and misleads potential new players about the actual content of the game. The lighthearted TikTok series and other marketing materials have missed the mark, making the game seem trivial when it should be portrayed as the vast, magical world it was originally intended to be.
Updates and Slow Bug fixes
Unresolved Issues Persist: Players have long expressed frustration with the slow pace at which critical bugs are fixed in Star Stable Online. Persistent issues like broken quests, NPCs not triggering dialogue correctly, or horses not responding to commands may go on for weeks—or even months—without resolution. This lack of timely fixes can disrupt the immersion and enjoyment of the game, especially for players who are heavily invested in completing quests or building their horses’ stats.
Performance Problems: Many players have reported performance issues, such as lag, crashing, or long loading times. These technical hiccups are especially detrimental to players who are trying to enjoy the game on a more serious level. Despite these long-standing issues, they are often left unresolved for too long, giving the impression that the development team is more focused on new features than maintaining the current ones.
Impact on Gameplay Experience: The slow patching of bugs and glitches not only frustrates players but can also affect gameplay. For example, if a quest-breaking bug isn’t fixed, it can prevent players from progressing in the game or earning rewards, which could dampen their motivation to keep playing. Players who have experienced the same issue repeatedly may even feel neglected, leading to a decline in player retention.
(psa this was written before the cheating ban update so idk if anything changes here i haven't been online)
Pacing of Updates:
Inconsistent Release Schedule: There is often a lack of consistency in how updates are rolled out in Star Stable Online. Some months may see frequent updates with new content, while others might see a long dry spell where the community feels stagnant. When there is no clear pacing or roadmap, players might lose interest as they wait for new features or events. This inconsistency also makes it difficult to keep players engaged, especially if they feel that updates are sporadic and lack depth.
How SSE Can Fix This
Realistically, will SSE ever see this? Probably not. And even if they did, would they listen? Unlikely. But here’s what they could do to actually make the game engaging again:
Bring back the sense of mystery. The game doesn’t need to be horror, but it does need stakes, suspense, and excitement. Let Dark Core be evil. Make the Dark Riders feel like a real threat. Give us a story where we feel like we’re actually fighting for something.
Stop dumbing down the quests. Kids aren’t stupid. Plenty of kid-friendly media has deep, engaging stories that people of all ages can enjoy. SSO can, too.
Fix the economy. The current system is frustrating, predatory, and making people quit. Lower item prices, increase Jorvik Shilling rewards, and stop making everything feel like a cash grab.
Bring back seasonal events. Festivals, pranks, special decorations—these things made Jorvik feel alive. Removing them was a mistake.
Actually update the main story regularly. One to three main quest updates per year is not enough. The story is dragging, and at this pace, we’ll still be looking for the light ceremony pages in our 90's.
Listen to player feedback. The community has been vocal about these issues for years. Maybe it’s time SSE actually pays attention.
At its core, Star Stable Online has lost its identity. What was once a game about mystery, adventure, and meaningful storytelling has been reduced to a predictable cycle of overpriced horse releases and low-effort updates. The magic of Jorvik, once thriving with high-stakes quests and immersive seasonal events, has been replaced by a shallow, directionless experience that lacks the structure and ambition it desperately needs.
Instead of expanding on the compelling lore they already built, SSE has dragged the main story to a crawl while simultaneously making the Dark Riders and Dark Core feel like minor inconveniences rather than formidable threats. The economic decisions have only worsened the situation, making player engagement feel transactional rather than rewarding. The game’s reliance on overpriced horses and recycled events, coupled with its failure to deliver meaningful gameplay improvements, alienates both new players and longtime fans.
It didn’t have to be this way. With proper development structure, dedicated teams for different aspects of the game, and a renewed focus on engaging storytelling and gameplay, SSO could reclaim its former glory. But as it stands, it feels like SSE is more interested in short-term profit than in nurturing the world they created. If they continue down this path, Star Stable Online will remain in a slow decline, remembered more for what it could have been rather than what it actually became.
I don’t hate SSO. I wouldn’t be writing this if I did. I love the world, the characters, and the potential that’s still there. But right now, the game is failing its players. It’s losing old fans, struggling to keep new ones, and if it doesn’t course-correct soon, it risks fading into irrelevance.
SSO can be an amazing game again. But only if SSE actually puts in the effort.
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l1v1ngd3dgrrl · 2 days ago
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pleaseee can you make some daisuke x fem!tradgoth reader (you can make it nsfw i don't mind) i can't find anything and i think it would be soso cute
Daisuke x fem! Tradgoth Reader [sfw+nsfw]
an: I heart Alt x Normie couples so much ashaslkfja. I'm not exactly Trad goth but I love love love the style.
[MDNI because I'm an 18+ account, and there's some nsfw in this.]
mdni banner: cafe kitsune
cw(s): fem reader, some stereotypical alt x normie scenarios, not full on porn but sexual situations.
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SFW (pre-dating)
You made the first move! You saw his little happy sunshine ass and was like "oh yeah, i need him."
He was a regular at his local arcade-which just so happens to be the same place you work at! It's one of the few places that didn't have a strict dress code, so you didn't have to de-gothify yourself too much for work.
You would watch him when he came in, his main games being those dancing rhythm games, or the space shooters. He was fantastic at dance dance revolution but sucked at space invaders. It was cute honestly, watching him fail and come up the counter for hours on end to get change to try again at the games.
Most customers were a little put off by you, intimidated by your fashion choice. Not Daisuke. He appreciates fashion, even fashion he doesn't quite understand
He found your style unique, there weren't many goths-let alone full on trad goths in your area so you stood out. He asked you about goth stuff when he could, interested in why you dressed the way you did.
Not maliciously! he's just curious.
He (in a lighthearted way) gave you the nickname Wednesday after you wore a similar dress on one of your more laid back days.
SFW (Dating)
Like I said, you made the first move. While he was the one who probably fell first, he cannot talk to women (or anyone he's attracted to) for the life of him. When the relationship was still fresh he was constantly stuttering and fidgety.
Somewhere within the first few weeks he confessed that part of the reason he was attracted to you was because of some cartoon character he had a crush on as a kid. Obviously your personality was the main thing-that was just an added bonus.
You introduce him to a few goth bands, it's not his favorite genre but he does give each song you recommend to him a listen. ( I have a feeling he would like some of The Cure's music, Maybe a couple of The Sisters of Mercy songs too.)
He lets you do his makeup sometimes, but he loves watching you get ready on your more elaborate days. Has tried to do your makeup for you but his hands aren't as steady so your eyeliner ends up crooked.
Thrifted you a bunch of cool fishnet shirts and various black clothing pieces for your wardrobe.
For an anniversary gift one year he managed to find this really badass Victorian vanity for you. It's now happily sitting in your bedroom.
Loves going to goth clubs with you, the dancing makes him feel so free AND he gets to spend it with his smokin' hot goth girlfriend? fuck yeah!
He doesn't use any super gothy nicknames for you, though he secretly likes it when people say you're like Morticia and Gomez.
Will passive aggressively defend you from any of those 'goth dommy mommy' freaks who try hitting on you.
NSFW
a She Wants Revenge song has played at least ONCE while y'all fucked. (i've seen a few memes about this and thought it would be funny to include)
Secretly likes it when you still have your makeup on, especially black lipstick. Seeing it smudged after you two finish making out or you sucking him off?? hot, like really hot.
bonus points if you leave hickeys on him and a trail of lipstick marks.
he loves seeing you undressed, but seeing you in some dark lingerie really really gets him going.
he worries about making you feel objectified so he doesn't do the whole "oguhgh big tiddy goth gf" shit ( unless you're into that wink wink)
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redux-iterum · 1 day ago
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I’m a little more sympathetic for Rosy- she was under a lot of duress when she gave Cloudpaw up. It very much is akin to “teenage girl being forced by parents to give up her baby” to me. Honestly, what choice did she really (at least in her mind) have? Fireheart came and saw her a decent amount, if not exactly often. Cloudy can just do the same! But then he does, and she gets to experience, at least in some small way, being the mother she wanted to be… combine that with “this is the only child I can ever have a relationship with” and I completely get her reaction. No, she doesn’t get to swoop in after someone else has raised him and get him back no questions asked, but it wasn’t like she made the choice to give him away out any unwillingness to raise him. Her hand was completely forced and this was the best of worst options. Yeah, Fireheart was all like “oh it’s different in the Clans, there are rules, it’s not what you think…” but he was also perfectly fine going against those rules himself to see Rosy whenever, so really, that precedent was established well before it became an issue with Cloudpaw. Honestly part of me wonders if Fireheart had such a strong reaction because it was at least partially aimed at himself, because it was his example of “yeah the rules can be bent or broken for good reason” that influenced both Rosy and Cloudpaw to think they could do the same. Idk, terrible situation all around, but I think this is different than the family member that ditches their kid with another member out of prioritizing their own wants and only wanting the “fun” parts of parenting on a whim- it’s “I would do anything I possibly could to keep my child, but external forces are forcing me to give him up, so I will try to make the best of this terrible circumstance.” Rosy, in her limited worldview, was led to believe that sending Cloudpaw to the Clan would let him be with his family, something she always wanted for herself, and that she could get a piece of that dream when he came to visit with her brother, and maybe she could be content with that. Reality differed of course, because it was naive to think that that would actually be enough in the face of her desire for family, but I can’t really blame her for being hopeful and making decisions on that hope.
I appreciate this take! Sympathy for the Rosy, and all that. I personally feel bad for her, knowing as her writer where she's coming from. The girl definitely didn't know what she was getting into the moment she sent Cloudy away, and I don't think she does even now. Desperation makes us all fools, in the end.
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laurelwen · 10 hours ago
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Sorry, it's me again. There's this thing that has been...whispering in the back of mind since I read this post for the first time. Nigel wrote: "... I removed a rat's heart and pretended to be disgusted" Why on earth would he feel the necessity to PRETEND to be disgusted in front of Alex?
I've taken a minute to answer this because it's a very good question but difficult and complicated to answer within the context of the film. For those who aren't sure what you're referring to, please see this post transcribing Nigel's notes.
The short answer is: I don't think the people making the props were entirely consistent with the character as scripted. I think most likely they were given some general directives (such as "make sure it highlights the words "egocentric megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur") Outside those few directives, they just sort of let their poetic license run free, injecting their own ideas of a what a "fucked up weird guy who dissects animals" would say into the text, and creating a different version of Nigel than the movie presents us with. The worst example of that is the newspaper article in Alex's book--which doesn't make ANY sense in the context of the film. No one really expected crazy fans to obsessively pause the movie and use photo enhancing techniques frame by frame to determine what was written in his journals or the text of the article, so I think there was a lot of leeway and perhaps some laziness when it came to the props.
It's hard for me to come up with an IN character justification for Nigel to have written that, because it doesn't gel with my observations of him as presented in the film. The journal entry itself is written before he is kidnapped by Alex and the dynamic of their relationship shifts. This IS the entry that made Alex angry enough to kidnap him and teach him a lesson in the first place. This is the Nigel who barely responds to Alex's confrontational anger over the dissection in the dorm room, the Nigel who seems to be completely unmoved by or even very aware of how his actions might impact others. He doesn't care enough to even consider what effect he has on others, and even if/when he is aware, I sincerely doubt he'd bother to *pretend* anything. Nigel doesn't seem interested in pretending to be anything other than what he is, a defining trait that causes him a lot of problems.
Later in the movie, Nigel does shift a bit into a more puckish role. He fucks with Alex in a variety of ways, very noticeably in the train scene when they're going to visit his secret room. He's playful, mischievously antagonistic, poking and prodding Alex and seeming to enjoy his discomfort. This demeanor is more in line with the kind of guy who might write about deliberately messing with his roommate's head. But I still don't know why he would feign disgust in the middle of the dissection given that he's been dissecting animals regularly and Alex would have no reason to think he's grossed out by it.
I suppose if we apply that puckish attitude backward and say that Nigel was already trying to mess with Alex even before the kidnapping, we could sort of squint our eyes and imagine him being very over the top Fake Disgusted as he waves the heart around in Alex's direction. I still don't find that very likely, but it's the best I've got.
If you wanted to, you could use this as part of a theory that Nigel was the real instigator all along and had been intending/planning to manipulate Alex from the moment he was transferred to the school and forced to share a room. In such a reading of the film, all of his behavior could be seen as pretense in some way, including his initial lack of reaction to Alex--calculated to rile Alex up, put him off balance, etc.
I don't personally buy in to that interpretation, just as I don't buy into Alex being the sole instigator. I think either reading ascribes far too much power and control to these teenagers, however intelligent and manipulative they may be. But if you want to go that route, here's a supporting piece to add to your puzzle.
Thanks for the ask and I hope this rambling mess makes at least some sense!
EDIT: please read my reblog of this post. @silhioutte pointed out the very obvious mis-read of this line.
[Like Minds Masterpost - Main]
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ghostbust3rs · 2 days ago
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what cabin all marauders characters are in with explanation
James Potter- Apollo (do I need to explain) or dionysus because of his energy is also plausible
Sirius Black & Regulus Black- Ares/Mars because we all saw that lack of love he had for Clariess (just like Walberga) also Regulus is totally Roman and was most definitely betrayed by Sirius when he ran away to the Greeks
Remus Lupin- very basic but Minerva (Roman Athena) it also works because he could be the reason Sirius ran to camp half-blood (also idk how to relate anything back to him being a werewolf help because I think it's important)
Peter Pettigrew- Hermes (no not because of his trickery) but because he has a type of intelligence that hermes kids have
Lily Evans- Tyche (goddess of luck) I think she has this aura that radiates luck or the oracle because she is a muggle born
Mary McDonald- She's a hunter of Artemis. I don't really have an explanation but to me it makes sense or an Aphrodiate kid again no explanation just makes sense
Marlene McKinnon- Nike she just has that hyper energy and sarcasm of a daughter of victory
Dorcus Meadows- Lustitia (Roman goddess of justice) she just in my mind has this resting bitch energy that everyone can tell is apart of her personality so I feel like it fits or Hekate because she is magic
Barty Crouch Jr- he is either a jupiter kid or a Nemesis kid (what is her Roman name) why well for jupiter........he's a bad dad like his dad and Nemesis because we all saw how traumatized Ethan was it must be genetic or he's a Bacchus (Dionysus) kid (no explanation needed
Pandora Rosier- even though I head cannon Evan and pandora as siblings I have different ideas. So she is either a Ceres (demeter) kid because of how hippie I see her, a Pluto kid because people see her and Evan as off-putting, or hear me out a cupid kid. It makes no sense but it does the daughter of the God of love being able to predict your horrible break up an rebound everything she just stares at you is perfect, or she's the oracle (no explanation needed)(you could add the oracle part to any other head cannon)
Evan Rosier- okay evan is either a ceres kid because of how I can see him personally growing large venus fly traps to eat people, I can see him as a pluto kid not only because he's off-putting but also because of his fascination with death and things like that I see the community give him (also he's nico and pandora's hazel), I see him as a cupid kid in the way he tells heartbreak, but I can't see him as an oracle
+also ideas for this came from the song cult of dionysus so thank you TheOrionExperience
+also should I make this a fic like???? I have an idea
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marzipanilla · 2 days ago
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RAGE ! heh. yah.
To just veer off bc I have been rewatching this channels stuff lately - Batman stuff ! (x)
On to the rambles.
Yeah it just felt like every single character came out of the woodwork JUST to say 'wink wink nudge nudge we KNEW you two crazy kids would figure it out eventually!' and ?? why ??? why ?? why did you feel the need for their EXES specifically to give them the go ahead, to even shove them towards it even?? I just ?? surely they have other shit to talk about? Not to mention Rex and Eve's we are traumatized teens bonding was way more interesting then their very shitty romance!
I hate the fucking while I was dying I was thinking of you line too. Yes Mark. When you are panicking and freaked out, clearly that is when your mind is most clear. please. dear god. amid the ethics courses you should have been taking, a few ones about psychology and trauma response would also be good, yes?
lol Hannibal. Yeah. I agree. I love Mads' interview where he like Hannibal is the happiest man I have ever portrayed : ) and its like. he's right tho. That man IS having the time of his life and his falling in love, he is having a GREAT time. beautiful show. need to rewatch it soon.
I was talking to someone else and they compared the whole Eve and her parents situation to 'I wont be gay in the house but you can't stop me from being gay outside' and like. ugh. it really is tho. WHY are you still there. WHY are you so determined to make THESE people your family. You know you were (unknowingly adopted) they AREN'T your only option anymore. You aren't 12. You had TT ! (supposedly) You have NEW friends now!! Stop going back to these people!!
The UTTERLY SILENT (I do like the choice but it is also funny that all that happens is literally without a voice) and completely undiscussed by the main 'moral' force of the show maybe villains have REASONS for what they do opening ??? yeah it was great but it also feels so 'lol look at whats going on in the background! no one will ever realize how complex these situations can be!!' anyway here's Oliver being fucking stupid.
Like yeah, I loved the GoG breakdown/breakup in ep 3, as like a we all need to discuss autonomy and accountability and the messed up world we live and people are both right and wrong- but any of the personal-ness to it is ABSENT bc again.. we have rarely seen these people do anything. Stop calling them your family Samson! NONE of you know each other !! Also him calling out Rudy for playing the odds and then acting like he's all fond of him is wild. Amanda being so thrilled this 19 year old girl is marrying her boss is insane. AND Immortal just invited his own ass back, that shit is hilarious. You know that fucker would make anyone asking to come back jump through hoops.
I have played a bit with the idea of danger blind Debbie and it just.. it makes enough sense to me. Her response to terrible shit happening just being like 'well this is annoying : /' while everyone else is freaking out. I feel like Nolan would have been like ??? squishy human not afraid ??? and Debbie's response like ?? you think you're special bc you can kill me?? literally anything could kill me ! Why should I be afraid of you just bc you're fast and strong? A slow person with an air filled needle could get me !! and Nolan just having to be like : / Okay. I guess I see your point.
Look I find the over all narrative and some of the characters fascinating enough that I WANT to engage with and talk about this media, but honestly, I am such a hater and I don't even try not to be xD Invincible is my BUT YOU COULD BE GOOD IF YOU WERE GOOD fandom fr. 'star wars would be great if it wasn't star wars' is a thing I've seen half-jokingly get thrown around and for me its 'Invincible could be good if they weren't adhering it to the comic' lol
TBH I started a 'Cecil basically becomes Mark's parental figure' story that would take place in my Liar Liar/Man Who Played Wolf AU, but I ended up disliking it so I never really went back to salvage it. Maybe I just need to refocus and honestly just make it about Cecil : /
Honestly given a number of the dumb things the GDA gets up to I wonder how good they are at strategizing lol Like.. I really hoped they would leave out the 'we knew Nolan was lying FROM THE START!' thing, bc.. okay... he's a viltrumite. You have only just recently barely found anything that could hurt them... but... like... 20 years on the planet... and not only did you find nothing you didn't WARN anyone ? like ? where's the contingencies ??? Also I will never get over them not giving that astronaut a medical check up, just so he could go puke up more aliens into his sink. Sometimes I also think they deliberately prevent heroes from getting access to education bc the moment one of those fuckers learns how to strategize then you're ACTUALLY fucked, bc they really do make some dumb decisions in battles. constantly.
Yapping bug ! time for the yappings !!
While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom
OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.
I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.
I love thinking about these, omg.
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tackykachowch · 2 months ago
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How it feels to not like timebomb after s2
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#I'M NOT A HATER I SWEAR I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE IT ON PAPER#i do however think that it came literally out of nowhere and was hella rushed and kinda ridiculous#like. if the argument is that original ekko fell in love with jinx it doesn't make sense because they were enemies for most of their lives#if the argument is that current ekko fell in love with au powder and now projects these feelings on jinx it's kinda uh. messed up#because she's a whole different person. entirely. it doesn't matter if both these version started out as a 9-year old powder. they had#extremely different lives and experiences and thinking that “there's still this kind of powder in jinx deep down” is straight-up awful#OR even if he didn't project his feelings for powder on jinx why would he love her in the current universe? last time they met she blew them#up and now she wants to commit suicide. there's literally no reason for him to have any kind of feelings except the slight friendly#affection that's left from all those years ago. and yet the show and most importantly the fandom treats them like a couple??? i don't get it#also it's kinda insane that s2 turned jinx and ekko into flat shipping material#again. obviously i have nothing against the shippers and do not condemn it in any way. i'm just expressing my thoughts on the matter#also what pisses me off the most. is how in ep9 jinx in fully painted with ekko's symbols here and there. has the bandage (?) on her chest#like vi. has a hood that looks like a drawing that isha made. and yet there's no fishbones or any reference to silco at all#i mean. i get it s2 hates him but i can't help it#they gave her all these relationships and pretended that they're significant to her and yet they didn't have any proper development#to really earn it#arcane critical#arcane season 2#anti timebomb#jinx arcane#ekko arcane
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wheucto · 2 months ago
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finally decided to start watching s2e17 of ii
#wheucto#wheucto speaks#there are spoilers in the tags for like 17 and 18. not much since i havent actually seen those (at least not much) but beware#i am about to implode!#(not because of any opinion i have of the finale so far i just started watching it)#why did i start watching now? i was hearing Things about the finale (not really much spoilers_ just that the note 17 left wasn't a happy -#- note [since it seems to be the darkest hour. yknow. general 3-act stuff] and that people weren't really sure it was the last episode)#and i remember thinking “either i don't watch until act 3 comes out or until it's been long enough to know act 2 was the last episode”#i also have a tendency to do this with ii episodes_ i'll wait a couple of days to watch it#in the case of the ii s3 finale i literally only watched it because s2e15 came out#i dont really do this with other shows? and by other shows i mean BFDI i can't think of any other i watch regularly like II#well not regularly . yknow what i mean. to watch to completion like that ?#anyways another reason i didn't was probably bc of not knowing anything about the finale#yknow. didnt want it to end on a bad note but especially not something that like takes away the characters'... whats the word... agency tha#'s it. i think it would have felt weird to me if the ending was like everyone dying or smth in a way that interferes with that#but i feel slightly reassured since the characters do seem to come back to life i think from what i've heard#so yay!!!#i think hearing some mild spoilers about the ending of ii did help me mentally prepare for watching the finale#getting spoilers doesn't necessarily have to ruin your show-watching experience. i dont think id like having it all spoiled but having some#spoilers don't really hurt me_ and sometimes actually helps me in the experience (as in. gets me to actually watch something or lets me wat#-h without like... worrying about something needlessly? or at least maybe its like a detriment to my watching experience)#i dont really like all the suspense. some is good but sometimes i cant handle it or dont want to so a little spoilers helps me have my mind#- at ease yknow? i do remember as a kid id be worried about possibilities (like quite worried) that authors don't tend to do (because it'd#- be a bummer) and it hindered my enjoyment of shows then. obviously now i know shows dont tend to do stuff like that so i reassure myself#- “they probably won't die_ fail_ etc. they'll win in the end” (obviously not all shows but like kids shows and that stuff probably)#i think with most shows i could handle that possibility but i think i'm more attached to ii so_ while i could probably handle that_ it woul#like... be harder for me to like watch and handle and that stuff#anyways enough rambling on about that! wow they really ARE his OCs aren't they /JOK#(i don't actually believe they are his OCs_ since that removes their agency and i Dont Like That and i think that goes against II's themes_#but WOW drawing the ideas of them on paper... that's so OC-creator core of you mephone)
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medicinemane · 3 months ago
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Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy
You have... very very very very very very very very smart people you know, and they're say something that not only isn't true, but literally is as opposite of the truth as it's possible to be... and you'll... gently inform them "hey, it's actually a bit more like this" and then they just kinda... go on saying literally the exact same thing
I'm not sure if it's just that... I often feel like I must be very bad at communicating, or people must just not notice/ignore a lot of what I say, but... I don't know
Like dearest friend, you've said something as absurd as... I don't know, it's hard to say without saying it, but honest to god about as absurd as saying the United States was a part of the USSR, that level of completely getting it backwards
...and it just doesn't seem to matter when I try to explain it... I legit don't even know if you read what I said
Really end up feeling like I'm going nuts sometimes
#to be clear; I don't mind people disagreeing with me (though that's not what's happened here... I don't think I came into it at all)#but all I need in order to be able to work with disagreement is just... knowing you at least heard and understood me#like if it's 'I get that you think that vanilla is a good flavor of icecream; but I really prefer chocolate'... ok; this works for me#it's that... a lot of the time it honest feels more like 'what are you talking about? vanilla isn't a flavor' where... huh?#let's take a real example; not everyone needs to agree with me on nuclear#but like... someone saying 'I get that it's way safer these days; but I still worry about waste storage'... well ok then#but if it's just like 'but it's dangerous and will explode' even after I've explained about the designs now#where there's a salt plug that with melt and drain before anything can happen; and these materials don't like to run away#...and it's not like they're asking me to back up the source; it's like I never said anything at all...#what am I supposed to do here? you feel me on that? do you start to get why I feel like I'm going crazy when that's how it often feels?#no one is obliged to agree with me but... literally just active listening would fix this... say you heard me and we're good#acknowledge that I voiced something and it's been noted#honestly... honestly my who life it's felt like I must somehow actually be invisible#...to an extent maybe I'm a figment of my own imagination; I might well be a ghost that's lonely and makes you all up#...for all the impact my actions have#or maybe literally everything I say just comes out garbled... is that it?#this post is about something very specific; but it's also about something that happens a lot with a lot of different people#on a broader scale; why is it no one else seems to be able to connect the dots#and these aren't like... conspiracy theory dots; these are like russia buys drones from Iran; therefore russia and Iran are partners#that's the kind of dots I'm talking about connecting; please tell me that's not a conspiracy theory to you... it seems plain to me#I don't know... I really don't... I don't think much I say will ever have any impact anywhere on anyone#...honestly a good 90% of the time people don't even respond to what I say#not like my posts here; I mean direct in dms or whatever; I'll say stuff and it's just silence or a new subject#again; across multiple people; it's common... it's... I think it happens more often than it doesn't#I can instantly name 4 conversations with 4 different people that's happened with lately#and that's not counting the 3 where I know the reason why it's happened#I really am something unfit to live; the evidence is endless#mm tag so i can find things later
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tenok · 7 months ago
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#the thing is. you should believe survivors#also my ex after we broke up tried to go to half of our mutual friend and tell them horrifying stories of abuse he was dealing with#it wasn't even planned smearing campain (I don't think it's his style). he was truly hurt. some things really di happened. some even#happened the way he told it. and some were blowed to 'I went to work with bruises every day' (he was grabbed by hand by other partner once#and had bruises because he was so white-skinned he bruised like from touch)#or how I forced him to live with other man that hated him and turned his life to hell (he forgot to mention that it was my disabled brother#he flew away from our abusive mother as soon as he turned 18 and I gave him shelter. after asking partners to consider this seriously#because it's big commitment. I also stated several times that I'm willing to move out with him if it's unpleasant. also this 'living hell'#was him ignoring my partner completely after he yelled on him several times because as he said he didn't ran away from home#to suffer yelling again)#so yeah. it didn't work that time because my friend actually know everything from me long before my ex came to them#they nodded politely and never talked to him again#but it lingers. and it majes me look really critically at any call out or accusation.#person could be really hurt. really harmed even. and still there could be biases or misunderstanding or any human messiness#it sounds like girl had a horrifying experience. it also looks like she kept illusion of being fully on board and loving it.#was it believably? or he just didn't care#did he pick her because she was young and inexperienced? or because she told him she's interested in bdsm?#did he tried to help her when she was in bad place? or was he calculatingly buying her silence?#was he creepy or was he awkward?#honestly I don't know even... what kind of proofs you can get there#like we have her statement. we have objective thing — texts and vids. we can have Gaiman own statement#so what if he will repeat what stated in messages: it was consensual she literally wrote what she want me to do etc#believe survivors. what if everything she told is true too. but also what in messages are true too#what if she was scared and hurt and also told him yes and more and please master. because people are complicated#would he accused of not reading her mind? would there be charges on not checking enough. HOW WRAP MY MIND AROUND IT#like it's all is ne genuinely trying to understand what's next and how it could be wrapped at all#for the record: even if it was absolutely 💯 consensual and girl like completely lying about everything etc#he's still clearly fucked up and things were messy for a lot of reasons. it's bad!#but there's difference between 'it was rape or coercion' and 'it was poorly planned affair and he should've be more considerate of partners#feelings'. and in any way. hope that girl gets help
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aureentuluva70 · 1 year ago
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