#and it was way sillier than I expected nothing happened

[kutakunagasblog]

“ why did I let this happen to you”

Something something their jewellery shining red like the strings of fate

Is it too soon to introduce chip with a white streak ?

Stuff I forgot to post from episode 109 ^^

[rye-bread-soda-iceberg]

hii everybody, it's my birthday! I turn 21 today :D

it's been more than one full year since I made this blog and I'm not planning to leave anytime soon, so definitely expect more art from me! I'll take the chance to say I'm overjoyed that people actually like my silly little drawings and I've gotten so many "I love the way you draw Sampo/Ratio" it's insane!! I'm glad you guys do

speaking of which, it's also been more than a full year of me drawing my sweetheart Sampo from HSR <3

I realized i had fallen in love with him hard on the 12th of June 2023 in the 1.0 version, during the museum event, though I had my eye on him ever since the very start of the story

fixating on him helped me so much, not only bringing a lot of joy into my life but getting my attention away from a certain relationship that was making me miserable and subsequently making me realize how toxic it was. it may seem silly but to me it does feel like he saved my life a little bit. if I ever stop being fixated on him, something I hope will only happen in a distant future, I will still always owe it to him

on a lighter and sillier note, some time in January I finally got to see Dr. Ratio for the first time during the livestream. and I hated him. from his design to his personality there was nothing about him that I liked, and I used to be real vocal about it too

then I just switched overnight. I realized I was in love with him on the 28th of June of this year and I have been loving every single thing about him as much as I love Sampo ever since

in a way, he also helped me a lot! I've discovered a kind of passion in myself I thought I never had in the first place and fixating on him gave me the motivation I was lacking to work hard and improve myself. I feel like he changed who I am fundamentally as a person, although a part of what I am now had been already there, perhaps dormant. I guess you could say he awakened something in me, definitely

I had never found this much comfort in a single fictional character before, much less two at the same time. I'm grateful for many things and people in my life including myself and lately i've been so grateful for these two silly fictional beings who help me keep going every day

as I've mentioned a few times, I do ship myself with both of them! I'm mostly sharing, I love loving them, I love seeing them love each other And I love seeing other people/people's ocs and certain fictional characters loving them <3

I'm very particular when it comes to receiving gifts, so the best thing I can do for myself is make my own silly selfship art :"

but yes, not sorry for rambling, I just wanted to do a little something on this blog for the occasion :"3

hope you'll all have a great day!

[strangergrove]

How about 16 AND 62?

This turned out longer and somehow simultaneously sillier and more serious than I expected.

16 - stop touching my butt

62 - “This is the dumbest shit we've ever done.” “This was your idea.”

---

Billy sat crouched behind a bush, scowling and putting a finger to his lips as a twig snapped beneath Steve’s foot. The brunette cringed and mouthed ‘sorry.’ Billy rolled his eyes and turned back toward their target. The sun was starting to set and Billy was starting to worry their plan was going to fall apart.

“You sure he’ll be leaving? It’s almost seven.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve whispered. “He’s not the most punctual, but he wouldn’t bail on Joyce like that.”

“And El?”

“At Mike’s.” Steve crept a little closer. “What’s up with you? I’ve never seen you this anxious about… anything, really.”

Billy shook his head. “Nothing. I’m fine. Just getting impatient.”

Just as the words left Billy’s mouth, the lights in the cabin began to flip off one at a time. A minute later, Hopper stepped out of the front door, looking surprisingly dapper.

Billy flashed Steve a smirk. “Hop cleans up pretty well.”

“Gross. Shut up. He’ll hear you.”

Hopper’s Jeep roared to life and Jim Croce began crooning out of the stereo, quickly joined by Hopper’s own rendition. A minute later, the purr of the engine, along with Croce, faded into the distance as Hopper tore down the back roads.

“At least someone’s in a good mood,” Steve remarked as Billy slung a bag over his shoulder and the two made their way toward the cabin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, you’ve been a bit of a bitch lately. More than usual, I mean.”

Billy turned and cocked an eyebrow at Steve. “Is that right?” Steve nodded. “Well, sucks to be you, I guess. I plan on being a bitch all night.”

Steve could have sworn he saw the crook of Billy’s mouth twist into a smile as the boy turned back around.

A loud rattling skipped off into the evening as Billy fought with the doorknob. Neither of them should have been surprised the door was locked.

Steve snorted. “You’re lucky no one else lives out here.”

“Okay, smartass. Do you know how to pick a lock?”

“Well…” Steve’s face scrunched up. “Not exactly.”

“Thought so. Maybe you can stop critiquing me and go check the windows or something.”

“Fine,” Steve mumbled, heading off. “Bitch.”

“I heard that, asshole.”

After a few minutes, Steve came back around to find Billy sitting on the steps. “No luck. Y’know, Hop didn’t really strike me as the type to lock his windows.” Steve had expected at least a small chuckle for that. Instead, Billy sighed, and Steve was taken aback by how heavy it was. “You sure you’re okay?”

Billy shrugged and didn’t respond. After all the practices, the fights and makeups, the late night apologies, the begrudging hangouts while watching the kids, Steve had learned how to listen even when Billy wasn’t talking, which happened from time to time. The way Billy’s shoulder sagged was like a cry to Steve. The boy always had so much fight in him, so much tension in his muscles, that when all of that went away, Billy looked hollowed out, defeated.

“Something happen at home?” It was something they never really spoke about, but Steve had heard about it through Billy’s body language, and through Max.

Billy laughed and it sounded just as hollow as he looked. “Something’s always happening at home. But no. It’s just…” He rested his chin on his fist and looked over at Steve. “I know our lives are vastly different but… I understand her, in a way. El, I mean. I think I know some of the pain she felt growing up in that place.”

Steve didn’t know how to respond to that. There was a heaviness in the air he wasn’t used to. His parents had never spoken about anything of importance around him. It had always been on the periphery. He’d grown up without ever really learning how to hold a silence that heavy without feeling the need to break it. So it was with a hesitance somewhat foreign to him that Steve placed a hand on Billy’s shoulder and simply sat with him.

After a while, Billy finally spoke again. “Do you know what we did for my birthday after my mom left?” When Steve shook his head, Billy continued. “Nothing. Not once. Not even after Max and Susan came around. Well, not until this year.” There was a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. “This year Max asked for a ride out of town, to some record store. And she asked me for a recommendation..” Now the smile was obvious, and there was a lightness to his voice. “She specified ‘something she hasn’t already heard me listen to a million times.’ So I suggested something I knew I’d like but hadn’t been able to buy yet. That little rat bought it and gave it to me when we got back in the car.” He sniffed. “First birthday present I’ve gotten since I was a kid.”

“I’m sorry. If I’d known–”

Billy shook his head. “Nah. We’ve never been close enough for gifts.” He laughed. “Maybe someday. But nah, don’t feel bad for that.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, my point was… I know El gets presents. I know Hop and the boys probably all have some awesome shit planned for her. And I’m happy. I just… I want to make her birthday special. And also annoy Hop, ‘cause that’s my new favourite hobby.” Billy grinned and Steve couldn’t help but imitate it.

“She’ll love it. I know she will. So let’s figure out how the fuck to get inside.”

Billy shrugged. “Don’t know how without breaking a window. And that’s not really my style.” Steve gave him a suspicious look. “Anymore. Okay, look, I was a different guy in Cali. Maybe it’s not so bad I was forced to move to this shithole town.”

With a nod that was far too enthusiastic, Steve said, “I’ve got an idea.”

“Stop touching my butt.”

“Damnit, Harrington, how else do you expect me to lift your giant ass up?”

Steve looked down at Billy. “Is this you finally admitting I’m taller than you?”

“Shut up and climb.”

Billy boosted Steve, by the ass, until the boy was able to place his feet on Billy’s shoulders. With a stretch, Steve’s fingers found purchase on the edge of the roof, and he began to pull himself up, assisted by Billy pushing up on Steve’s feet.

“Alright, now give me your hand.” Steve laid on his stomach and reached down for Billy, who quickly began to pull himself up. Steve grunted. “Holy shit, you’re heavy as Hell.”

“Yeah, muscle is heavy, you twink.”

Steve pulled Billy up the rest of the way. “I have no idea what that means or how to feel about it.”

Billy laughed. “I promise it’s not bad. And you’ll learn someday.” He winked.

Steve’s face immediately turned red. “Ew. Or… Whatever. What’s… What was that about?”

“Wow, you get flustered fast.”

“Shut up and go.”

Billy tilted his head, inspecting the piece of plywood boarding up the broken window above the bump-out they were standing on. “Guessing a tree branch took it out during the storm we had a couple weeks ago.”

“Okay, but can you get it off or not?”

Billy held up the crowbar they’d scavenged from the shed. “Eventually.”

After several frustrating minutes, Billy managed to pry the plywood free – mostly by breaking the corners where it was secured to the window frame.

“Sorry, Hop,” Billy mumbled as he set the plywood to the side and dropped down through the window with a grunt. “C’mon Harrington, it’s getting late.”

Steve stuck his head in through the window. “I think you got this. I’ll just drop the bag down.”

“Oh Hell no. If we get caught, we get caught together.”

“Okay, but you owe me.” He swung the bag around and dropped it into Billy’s waiting hands.” This is the dumbest shit we’ve ever done,” Steve grumbled as he lowered himself over the edge.

“This was your idea, dumbass.”

“Well, usually my ideas are great.”

Impatient at how long it was taking Steve to let go of the ledge, Billy walked over and grabbed Steve’s hips with a vice-like grip. “You can let go now.”

Steve did so, and Billy slowed his descent. “Oh. Um… Thank you.”

Billy grinned. “Any time. Now, let’s go. Who knows how long that date’s gonna last.”

They spent the better part of the next hour swapping out the contents of their bag. As Steve hauled the bag back to the Camaro, Billy did his best to nail the plywood back to the window frame, using a handful of random nails he’d found in the shed. By the time they’d packed up and made it a half mile down the road, Hopper was on his way back, singing with even more verve than before.

Billy smiled and glanced over at Steve with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “You hungry?”

Hopper was in a good mood the next morning. Well, afternoon. He’d had a lovely night out with Joyce, and she’d actually liked his shirt this time, said it was cutting edge. He’d stayed up late, waiting for the call when El was ready to be picked up. They’d both had a late night and slept in.

“Happy birthday, kiddo,” he said, ruffling El’s hair as she came out of her bedroom. “You have a good night at the Wheelers’?”

El cocked her head and squinted. “Mike talks during movies. A lot.”

Hopper chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me. Hey, kid, I’m sorry we missed breakfast. I think you ate the last of the Eggos yesterday anyway. But I did buy some new TV dinners that looked like they could be good.” He shrugged. “We could give those a try for lunch.” El scrunched her nose but shrugged. “If we hate it, I’ll order us a pizza. How’s that?” He was answered with a smile.

Hopper pulled a couple TV dinners out of the freezer. His brow furrowed when he noticed the packaging had already been opened. When he asked El if she’d opened them, she shook her head. Confused, Hop pulled the tray out to find it stuffed with Eggos.

“What the Hell?” He pulled out the other one to find the same. “Did you do this?”

El came over to see what he was talking about and her face immediately lit up when she saw the Eggos.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”

Hop spent the next few minutes pulling out every box of food in the fridge and freezer, to find them all full of Eggos. A flare of annoyance and frustration hit him, but it was quickly soothed by the look of absolute delight on El’s face as she went to pop a few Eggos in the toaster.

“There’s a note,” she said, handing Hop a piece of paper he hadn’t noticed sitting on the toaster.

We’ll bring your food back tonight. Just wanted El to start her birthday with a smile.

P.S. Also maybe wanted to annoy you a little.

P.P.S. Sorry about the plywood.

[pittdpeaches]

Hi there! Sorry if you’ve already been asked something similar to this haha-

Do you have any writing tips? Anything you wish you’d known earlier? Things you would suggest avoiding?

I’m also curious how you plan your fics if you don’t mind sharing haha

aaaaa hello hello! Apologies for not getting to this sooner, I've been in the process of going to study abroad, but I have some time to sit down and answer this properly. I'm not sure if I have things I wish I'd known or advise you to avoid, but I can share writing tips and fic processes.

Way back in like, october 2022, I made a huge google doc with like 12 different fic ideas I had. I go back to it now and again and add some ideas, or work on others. If I'm particularly inspired by something, I may even make it into a bigger doc. Usually I have an idea of what story I'd want to write and a handful of scenes seared in my head, and it's just a matter of adding scenes in between to get to the Big Stuff. A lot of the time, the story I start with shifts from there in order to justify getting to the original scenes I've planned out.

For example: Genus Datura was supposed to be a sickfic/intoxication fic where Red Son got so fucked up he started genuinely believing MK was his husband, because there was No Way this was real, he had to be dreaming, while a very real, *not* married MK tried to take care of him. The main scenes in my head were the hair washing scene and Red Son throwing up all over MK, but it was a matter of stretching it out into a bigger plot. I wasn't sure *how* Red Son would get into that state, so I did some research and found out jimsonweed is a very poisonous plant that causes hallucination and even death.

This bit of research was great because I could use an element from the actual show in the fanfic, but it also changed the story's tone. It wasn't a silly fic about Red Son spilling his affections to a very real MK-Red Son gets genuinely poisoned, and believes MK is proof of that. It also changed the reason why Red Son was working with the crimson jimsonweed-Princess Iron Fan needed him to work on it, which meant this was to some degree, Princess Iron Fan's fault.

Sometimes, it's less a matter of research changing the fic and more stream of consciousness? I didn't plan for the car scene between Red Son and MK in Genus Datura, but it just sort of poured out the more I wrote, and I went along with it.

While I do sometimes play with the idea of writing the sillier genus datura, I'm really happy with how it turned out. I enjoyed the writing process for it immensely.

I have a pretty spastic writing schedule-I'll do huge 5-8k chunks of writing over the course of a couple hours or a single day, and then just *not* write for a couple days or even a week. I wouldn't say it's the *healthiest* schedule per say, but it works for me and I'm overall pretty content with it. That being said, if you can stretch your writing out over the course of several days rather than jamming it into one, I'd recommend that more to others lmao.

So, here's some advice:

Firstly, make an outline. I'm not a big outlining person myself, I usually just have the chapter number and like, a short blurb about what I want to happen, but that alone is good enough. There's nothing worse than having a scene in your head and then completely forgetting it when you sit down to write three days later.

Take your time writing! Schedules and deadlines you create for yourself are handy if you want consistency, but life isn't consistent, and sometimes you need to be lenient with yourself. Write what you can, and if you can't some days, don't.

If you're stuck on something, genuinely go outside. Or stay inside, doing something completely different. Work on something else. The brain is fascinating-it works on things even when we don't really think about them. Give yourself some time away from your story and eventually, it'll come to you.

Play around with your ideas, even if you don't expect them. You might change something you thought was an integral aspect of the story at some point, and you might switch it out for something you'd just came up with on the spot. And that's okay. If this is where the story wants to take you, then go along for the ride.

Most importantly I think is that no matter how silly or stupid you think your writing is, someone out there will love it. Even if you don't get as many views or likes or comments as you'd hope, someone out there keeps your work close to their heart. You've worked hard on something, and you should be proud of that :D

Hope this all helped!!! It's a VERY long response, sorry about that rgurithjn.

[choicesmc]

3, 4, 11, 18 for Rin and Fiona!

thank you!!

3. What is your favorite childhood memory?

RIN  When she was ~4/5, her mom took her for ice cream as a treat. Rin’s honestly not sure why. She just knows that it happened. And it wasn’t like just ice cream. Her mom was super nice the entire time. She’d pet Rin, coo at her, praise her, and generally gave her free reign all day. It was so unexpected from her mother! Not just the praise/general love but also that it stayed constant all day. Starla tended to switch between loving and hating Rin pretty fluidly but that day was amazing. If you ask Rin, she’d say she dreamt it. 

FIONA During peak Fiona Stoicism, way back in middle school, he dressed up for character day. Specifically he dressed up as the Fox in Socks. He went all out: red jeans, red shirt, a painted on nose, painted whiskers, blue shoes, and blue gloves. Most importantly, Fiona was fully expecting ridicule because well… look at him! But he got praise and compliments instead. Frankly, he hadn’t been praised like that in years. 

4. What is your least favorite childhood memory?

RIN  The day her mom abandoned her with the police. They’d been lured into the the Children of Starlight cult (the one from Laws of Attraction) and when it eventually went downhill. Starla had run away and left Rin alone. Rin was thirteen. Keep in mind, prior to this Rin was a very clingy child. There was honestly nothing scarier to Rin than being alone and, well, Starla made that nightmare a reality that day. 

FIONA Tough one. There isn’t One Big Thing that stays with him forever but a lot of mini things that made his childhood, ultimately, a series of dull disappointments. Though, when he was in eighth grade his father made a bet with him: Fiona gets high As for the entire school year (ie 96+) in Math and his dad would let him apply for a performance art school. Obviously, that was a very high bar to keep up (he was a high B, low A math student) but Fiona worked like hell and by next summer had successfully kept his math grades above a 96 –even peaking at a 99! His dad didn’t uphold his end of the deal though so… all for nothing. 

11. What is your favorite type of media (TV, movie, books, etc)?  Name some specific favorites (which shows, movies, books, etc do you like)!

RIN  Books. Call her a nerd, fine. She is. I think she gets very into solarpunk lit. But also loves sillier books like The Thea Stilton, Geronimo Stilton, and Goddess Girls series. Goddess Girls is a guilty pleasure. 

FIONA  Podcasts frfr. I do think he listens to story-telling podcasts (think Nightvale). But, more often than not, he’s just listening to Nigerian entertainment news. It’s hard to keep up language fluency without Igbo speakers around. He must make do (；′⌒`) 

18. What’s the best way to cheer you up? 

RIN  Path 1: Leave her alone. Come back in a couple hours. Give her time to understand how she feels in a space where she can’t lash out. (Rin will often distance herself when she needs it. What you do is stay away until she reaches out again.) 

Path 2: Stay but listen. Just lend her a listening ear. She doesn’t want solutions or critiques right now, okay? 

FIONA  Fiona likes to be distracted. He’s the sort that likes to push off processing how he feels until forever-and-amen. In the long run is it helpful? No, not really. But Fiona likes it that way, at least for now. 

[8bitsupervillain]

End of the Year 2023: The Games of the Year Combined List of Destiny!

So, what I wanted to do originally for this list was use one of the WWE wrestling games and have the twenty best games duke it out. Unfortunately none of them are free on the consoles, and I'm not spending seventy dollars on a goof (I might still do this soon…).

20: Diablo III

Perhaps my standards are lower than they used to be, but I had fun playing through it recently.

19: Doom 3

I disagree with the notion it's a horror game. It just plays like a slower paced vesion of the older Dooms.

18: Higanbana no Saku Yoru Ni

I enjoy a more straightforward horror yarn once in a while.

17: The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings

A fun game with a surprisingly good story that knows when to have sillier moments.

16: Dragon Age II

You push the button and something awesome happens.

15: Hammerwatch II

A fun action RPG that gave me what I was looking for when Diablo IV didn't. Also made me think about how not every gosh darned game needs to be an open world.

14: Might and Magic X: Legacy

I thought it was a pretty fun first person RPG. It doesn't really do anything new, but that's alright.

13: Demon Lord Reincarnation

A fun DRPG that uses a wonderful retro look for its graphics. Surprisingly emotionally gripping, and extremely cruel.

12: Amnesia: The Bunker

It's great someone made a new game in the style of Alien: Isolation. Kudos for using a scarcely used setting as well.

11: Dead Space

A fun remake that makes the original largely obsolete. It basically took everything the original did and tuned it up.

10: Armored Core 6

I appreciate the game didn't really dwell too long on the inherent backstabbing nature of mercenary life.

09: Class of 09 (Also Class of 09: The Re-Up)

Well that's kind of fitting isn't it? I found certain parts of this pair of games to be extremely funny, and at times surprisingly emotionally gripping.

08: Bravely Default II

An expertly crafted retro style RPG with a surprisingly strong storyline.

07: Pizza Tower

I was really surprised at how much I liked the gameplay when every single time I looked at it before hand I was left extremely unimpressed.

06: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

I won't apologize for my love of this type of game. It's just constantly satisfying combat all the way through.

05: Potato Flowers in Full Bloom

I went in to this expecting nothing and came away with an absolutely wonderful and compelling experience.

04: Resident Evil 4

I swear I didn't do this intentionally. I love the recent slate of Resident Evil games Capcom has put out, they seem to just go from strength to strength. Perhaps one day one will steal the gold medal.

03: Umineko no Naku Koro Ni

Absolutely stellar, a masterclass in mystery story telling. There is not one wasted character in the entire one hundred and thirty hour story.

02: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Just as impressively designed as the first Pillars of Eternity, with a fresh new setting. Everything is a ten out of ten with this game, the story, the characters, the gameplay, the whole deal.

01: Baldur's Gate III

But this just stole the show. Unparalleled levels of reactivity and planning for most of the outlandish plans players could think up gave Baldur's Gate III the edge. I know I win no points for originality by saying Baldur's Gate III is the game of the year, but the fact is that it is.

But can you say it in red?

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 12: The Hope Devourer.

Last show of the night, folks. We may be getting new trailers for new shows at some point soon, but we can't be sure for now. Until then, enjoy. And make sure to toss out your snack boxes on the way out.

The Good.

Dreams.

I'm happy to see from the watch along that Sam and Travis appreciate the delivery of "KragHAMMER!" as much as I do. I'm also happy that there was a nod to Kraghammer period; it was their first on-screen town and dungeon.

This series has so far done justice to how Critical Role would lean on dreams to develop atmosphere, character, and plot. Scanlan's is sillier than Pike's, but it's still effective. And it's even a little ominous, despite how weird it is.

The Dragon Chase.

Even if it did eventually shake him off, Grog's stubborn refusal to let go was a fun little roller coaster of a sequence. We get another example of how strong Grog is from it. And we also get a funny bit where the dragon turns Grog into George of the Jungle by dragging him through multiple trees. And then he's still hanging on.

I appreciate that the cast specified they wanted their characters to get badly hurt. In a setting where there's healing magic and incredible danger, that's essential. Otherwise, the audience won't believe anyone can actually die. Grog's crash landing is an example of that done well.

Vax and Scanlan's escape is a neat little nod to, well, stuff in the stream. Throughout that dragon fight, Scanlan repeatedly used his Hand to....fist the dragon's wounds. He made a way out for himself this way...and then described his attacks as such after for flavor. Honestly almost felt bad for the dragon after all that.

Taking Flight.

This next moment is slightly different. While timely intervention from the Matron did help Vax here in the stream, he didn't earn his wings until further down the road. However, this is an excellent example of a change that helps this shorter version of the story. It's an ideal continuation of the payoff to Vax's season-long angst that the last episode's communion initiated just in concept.

But in execution! Vax fully accepting his destiny, the flashback to the blood pool and the threads of life, the inclusion of the Raven from the opening titles (who I was expecting to tie into things but not that soon), and then the absolutely breathtaking sight of Vax's new wings unfurling. All while the music builds up to the show's theme. No notes. No critiques. Everything about it is immaculate. When Scanlan says: "I am so in love with you right now." he speaks for all of us.

The Fight.

Loved seeing Vax zoom around like a bear on cocaine in an acid cavern with a top-notch spooky atmosphere. (The underlighting!) Loved seeing everyone come in after him. Loved how, as Liam points out in the watch along, the fight is moment after moment of Vox Machina jumping in to keep another member from biting it. Loved seeing Umbrasyl's underhanded personality come out in his using Vax as a shield; Matt described him as the "shitty weasel" of the dragons, and this quote from the campaign about sums him up:

"Bravery means nothing. Survival and victory mean EVERYTHING!!"

In hindsight, it was a good call for Vax to point out how the dragons' wrath has touched on all of their pasts in some way. Not only was the stream story longer for its audience, but it was also longer for its characters; the Vestige hunt alone took in-game months. This season's timespan appears to be three or four weeks at the very most.

Months would give the dragons' influence time to reach Westruun, Syngorn, and other places of significance to the protagonists. Here it's all happening so fast that these events seem more meaningful. So the lampshade Vax hangs keeps it from taking us out of the story and ties it into his arc with the Matron. Plus, it's a nice nod to how the Dungeon Master tied everyone's stories into the Conclave so they'd all have stakes in the conflict. 

And it might be a good set-up for some of the weird coincidences in the second campaign...

That was a clever little move having Umbrasyl use Mythcarver's ability to find the other Vestiges. And thus, those who equipped them. Counter to this, it was very satisfying to see Mythcarver used to blast the dragon's eyeball off. Scanlan's call of "Two!" was reminiscent of his bardic abilities that could distract the enemy enough so that they rolled too low to hit an ally. The sword and Scanlan harmonizing only added to the moment, and it was a fun call back to when he first got it. 

I'm sure that joke won't come back to bite Scanlan and Vox Machina in their collective asses. No chance of that. 

That key? The prevailing fan theory is it's the key to a particular mansion. If that's the case, it's great to see it included. And we have more than one mansion in this series; I can't help but wonder how the other will come to be if this is how Scanlan makes his. 

Raishan.

The little montage of other characters is a sweet way to close out the season. Reminds us that this world holds other people besides Vox Machina, and for good or ill, our protagonists had an influence on them, and the world as a whole. Kind of a nice little nod to the stream episode Hope.

Cree. Summer. Kills. It. Dead. Of course, if you've seen any cartoon in the last twenty years, you know this, but it's always good to be reminded. Raishan has an earned arrogance: the countenance of a woman whose holding all the cards and knows it. There's a thick layer of contempt for our heroes and another thicker level under that for the primary target of her ire and machinations. She's evil for sure, but Cree gets across that she knows things: dangerous things. Things our heroes are going to need to know.

The deadliest member of the Conclave has arrived. 

And what has she there to talk about? Something more specific than what she came to talk about in the campaign. Tying the Conclave to Ascension sets some future things up pretty well. We'll see where all that goes from here.  

The Bad. (Or at least, the not-so-great.)

Scanlan.

Again, Scanlan's pushing for them not to fight the dragon, even though he was the first to acknowledge and accept they were fighting Krieg. I'm going to get into this more in another post, but....suffice it to say, that's been a consistently odd choice this season. 

Similarly, this theme about running from problems comes up again. It does fit Scanlan, given his lifestyle, but it still bothers me it's such a prominent story beat this season when it only fits Scanlan from what we've seen. 

And even so, this idea is undercut by how the battle turns out. It's because Scanlan isn't in the fray with everybody else, he's able to first find a temporary hiding spot for the rest of the group and then take advantage of Umbrasyl's distraction to nab Mythcarver and finish him off. I would suspect that this is a deliberate set up for some things down the line....but looking at how things have gone so far I have my doubts. For now it's ambiguously irksome.

Favored Enemy.

I'm disappointed with how they handled Vex having a dragon sense that could pick up on Krieg's deception. It felt cheap. Yes we're going to establish that Vex has this ability....that doesn't work in similar circumstances later in the series. It's like the opposite of a Chekov's Gun.

And they really could've done something interesting with it! Have Vex sense a dragon is nearby. Have her start to freak out, the camera cutting from one person to another as she desperately tries to figure out who it could be. The music get's tenser, everybody else is getting worried for her. She gets more and more desperate....Only for it to be too late: everyone starts to pass out. The interloper has already drugged the rest. 

(Depending on when Raishan made the switch you'd have to move things around so they aren't in the same room before Vex realizes at the end, but I think that effort would've been worth it.)

Even keeping the scene as is, they could've played things a little better. Raishan pointing out how Vex's ability can't detect her implies she's faced many people with similar skills, and she's still standing. It didn't help them take her down. That sets her up as a formiddable opponent. However, I think Raishan's savvy enough to not reveal she knows which one of them has that trick; it'd potentially give away when she was spying on them and who and where she was when she was doing it. If nothing else, I would've changed it so all she reveals is that she believes someone in the group has the ability to sense dragons. 

Nitpicks

I liked that Vestiges became a more focal part of the plot here in the series, but I was a little confused by Ripley and Umbrasyl's plan. The idea was to have their own champions that wielded the legendary equipment for them, right? Didn't they already have that for the Titanstone knuckles with Kevdak? Why not just use that guy instead of stealing the knuckles from him to give to someone else? Did they see him as unreliable? Just didn't like him? It's never stated. 

~*~

Again, Kiki turns into a bird unprompted, recognizing how useful the form would be. (That still bugs me, I'm sorry.)

~*~

While masterfully delivered, Pike's line about Scanlan and Vax's plan seems a little out of place. After all, she didn't even know they had a plan. A line like "They thought that was a good idea!? Go up its ass!?" might've worked better.

~*~

A little sad we couldn't get Shale here. Probably wouldn't have worked, I know. But damn it would've been fun to have Chris Perkins on. 

~*~

No One Down, which was an incredible little moment in the stream that I'm sad we didn't get to see.

"~*~"

Kind of wish they'd done more to establish how fitting Mythcarver is for Scanlan, and how his song powered it up. They can't use the term "bard" and I don't think they want to (meta-gaming)pigeon hole these characters anyway, but leaning a little more into the song/legend/bardic nature of the sword would've made it's incredible attack in response to Scanlan's singing make more sense.

~*~

Just pointing out again that the twin connection could've been better telegraphed before this point so that a moment like this (where Vex can't tell what's going on with Vax) would hold more weight.

That's the end of the season. Now the real fun begins.

Because now we get to put all our evidence together and talk about what's great about The Legend of Vox Machina so far...and what's holding it back from even greater heights. See you soon!

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

[ID: A tweet by Mark Arby @/markarby that says, "Not sure how it happened but a bus crashed into a building near Tottenham Court Road Station. Police, Fire Brigade and ambulance in attendance." There are two pictures attached of a yellow double decker bus crashed into a large building, one from behind and the other from the side. All the other images are replies to this tweet.

The first reply is by BBC London, saying, "Hi Mark, we hope you're OK. Would BBC London please be able to use your images in our coverage?" Mark responds, "Yes, that's absolutely fine."

The second reply is by London Live, saying, "Hi Mark, hope you are ok. Would we be able to share this video with credit to you please? Thanks." Mark responds, "It's not a video, just photos but yes, you can use them."

The third reply is by Dan Falvey (who has a verification check mark along with a GBN logo next to his username), who asks, "Hi Mark, hope you're okay. Can GB News use this image for our coverage? - with credit, of course." Mark responds, "No, I don't want anything to do with GB News. You don't have my permission."

From here, the replies get much less official and sillier. Jamie Crichton replies, "Hi Mark would it be okay to adapt your story into a feature film screenplay? In advanced discussions with Keanu Reeves but we've got Keith Chegwin in reserve." Mark responds, "Hi Jamie, I hope you're OK. Yes on the film screenplay but I want Rege-Jean Page to play me."

Greggg Wallace replies, "Hi Mark, hope you're OK. Would it be okay for me to spell okay like this rather than OK with credit to you?" (As o-k-a-y rather than capitalized O-K) Mark responds, "Hi Gregg, I'm great thanks, I hope you're OK too. I'll contemplate the best way to spell OK/okay at my next morning gym session, not as early as yours though. Have a great day and continue spreading your joy."

Steve Sales (he/him) replies, "Hey Mark, I'd like to use this as my phone's wallpaper but with absolutely no credit. Is that ok?" Mark responds, "Yes, of course."

Joanna Di-Bella replies, "Hi Mark- is it OK if all teachers in the land use this as a photo prompt for writing newspaper reports?" Mark responds, "I'm always happy to help teachers, you do such an amazing job."

Seán Clarke replies, "Hi mark I saw a frog. Would you like to use the picture? With credit of course." Attached is an image of a frog on asphalt. Mark responds, "No, I would like to save the frog before it gets run over by a bus."

HAJiME (emoji of an arrow pointing right with "soon" under it) Megacon BHAM replies, "Hi Mark, hope you're ok, can I get this tattooed on my arse?" Mark responds, "Yes, as long as they use a rusty needle."

Can't be blank replies, "Hi Mark, hope you're OK. (line break) Nothing else, just want to make sure you're having a good day!" Mark responds, "Thank you for asking, I'm having a busier day than I expected but all's good. I hope your day has been OK."

Ali replies, "Hi Mark, I hope you are ok. Would I be able to have these images burned into my retina with credit to you please?" Mark responds, "Yes, you can do what you like but don't credit me."

James Ratcliff replies, "Hi Mark. I hope you're ok. I'm at a bar with some friends, is it ok if I show them your photos, with a credit?" Mark responds, "Yes as long a you get me a pint of London Pride."

MJ | conversation killer (sparkles emoji) replies, "Hi Mark, hope you're OK. I see you posted these photos and notice they are already credited to you. Is this OK? Thanks." Mark responds, "Yes, that's fine."

EAFC COIN STORE (trademark emoji) replies, "Hi Mark. I hope you're OK, Is it acceptable if I don't use your image and give no credit, ovcourse. Cheers." Mark responds, "Yes, absolutely. May I use your tweet and not give you any credit too? I hope you're OK and having a joyous day."

gary replies, "Hi Mark. Would it be ok if I took tomorrow off work? Obviously giving you credit for it?" Mark responds, "I'm afraid not, the UK economy is relying on you working to save it, especially as there is one less bus to get people to work tomorrow."

DiscipleOfTron replies, "Hi Mark, hope you are ok. Is it okay if i take this and use it as promotional imaging for my new album im releasing?" Mark responds, "That will depend on how my negotiations with Beyoncé goes as she asked first. I hope you're OK too."

mike! (snowflake emoji) replies, "hi mark can i use your photos to make a tweet relating to hit eighties band the smiths and their song 'there is a light that never goes out', concerning the popular lyrics 'and if a double decker bus crashes into us.'" Mark responds, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now after reading that suggestion." Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now is capitalized, referencing a different Smiths song by that title.

Gary Lee Wadsworth replies, "Hi Mark, would it be OK if I printed off these pictures, tore them into strips and ate them, with full credit to you of course." Mark responds, "Yes of course but give the credit instead to the Gaviscon you will need after doing that." (Gaviscon is an antacid used for upset stomachs.)

Gerboa replies, "Hi Mark. I hope you are okay? Have you got any other photos? They don't have to be of buses or crashes or owt. We'll give full accreditation of course." Mark responds, "Yes on OnlyFans."

The final reply is from someone with a username of a long smiley face, consisting of six underscores, ^_^, and seven more underscores, saying, "Hi Mark, I hope you're not okay." Mark responds, "Sorry to disappoint because I'm feeling fantastic." End ID]

[ferny-berny]

Is it laziness or am I just scared?

I want to write, but every time I begin my desire disappears at the sight of a blank page. I feel the weight of expectation making the words sillier and more trivial. People tell me it’s okay to be bad at first, but I’m afraid that the moment they read something of mine they’ll look up and say, “actually, nevermind maybe you should let this dream go” and then I’d just die right on the spot. 

The more I talk to other writers I realize that I am certainly not the only one in this situation. We want to create and often find it necessary to have this as an outlet to survive. It seems a bit dramatic, but being able to put thoughts on a page makes me feel powerful; like I have some sort of control over what is going on through my mind. If nothing else, I can choose which words to use. 

Language is such an important part of our existence. I have had entire arguments revolve around the use of a word that makes me feel a different way than the other person. Some may dismiss it as simple semantics, but the truth is life is constructed by the meaning we assign people, places, and things - which is only possible because of language. It holds an incredible amount of weight in our world and beyond that, it is so expansive that I find myself lost in an ocean of words and also somehow grasping for new ones to register in my vocabulary because none of them feel right. 

I spent my college years with a tornado of ideas for pieces that never came to life because it felt impossible to translate them from abstract to tangible. The more I lived, the more it felt right to have some way of chronicling them because that’s another overwhelming feeling I can’t seem to escape - the deep fear of not being able to remember how it felt to be in this exact moment. Whether it’s pain or happiness, I know that at the “end” of it all (not sure when that’s supposed to be because I’m not talking about death) I will want to remember who this version of myself was. 

I guess the thing that holds me back is that I won’t be able to convey these feelings in a way that you can connect with, whoever you are. It’s okay if you don’t like it, as long as you get it and that’s another thing I simply have no control over. 

Over the last couple years I have practiced the art of detachment as much as I possibly can. It slowly gets easier becomes a habit. I can reach the conclusion of: it’s not personal, much faster. However my writing is deeply personal and I’m not the most trusting person, if I’m being honest. I’m reaching a new level of acceptance that I think is necessary to move forward.

For me I don’t think there is any kind of moving forward without telling the world my thoughts and making it known how I’m feeling. In the same way that I’m able to see the evolution of my person on the outside from my photos, I want to be able to track how my brain adapts to what is happening. I want to build and nurture connections. I want to grow. I want to let go of the fear of not being ~good~ 

Isn’t it all subjective? I guess you guys are about to find out.

[thetoxicgamer]

Street Fighter 6 World Tour is basically Yakuza yet somehow sillier

Midway through my Street Fighter 6 preview session, a funny thing happened. According to what I've been told, owners of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 will be able to experience what I did in World Tour two days after I did. Of course, this means that you might already be familiar with every step of character creation, the details of the first few battles, and Metro City's take on Times Square. I have, however, witnessed the magnificent nonsense that lies beyond. But I’m getting ahead of myself. After all, the most anticipated fighting game of the year has many modes on offer, and I got to see significantly beyond the demo, which will be available on Steam by the time you read this preview. First off, when the Street Fighter 6 release date rolls around, it will launch with a bonafide arcade mode, with stylish illustrations bookending each character’s journey. You can choose between a short or default-length campaign, with the usual 1v1 bouts against a computer-controlled opponent. Unfortunately, I didn’t complete the arcade mode, as progress halts in the preview build after a bonus stage, where I repeatedly kicked a semi-truck until it exploded. Still, its presence is welcome after Street Fighter 5 ommitted the popular single-player mode. Street Fighter 6 World Tour preview - Chun-Li has just been hit in the face by a giant ball that Guile, who is crouched down, flung into her. They are fighting aboard a military cruiser.While you’ll now have access to one of Extreme Mode’s rules and gimmicks, namely Down & Out and Bull Stampede, you’ll only have seen snippets of the rest. These rules either affect the win condition or, in one case, what moves you can perform. These are a blast to play when combined with gimmicks such as Mecha Fiend, which sees Mets from the Mega Man series join your side and fire pellets at your opponent. I also got to play around with the combo trials as Cammy and the character guide as JP. Combo trials are nothing new, though there are more than you’d probably expect per character. The difficulty of these trials ramps up nicely, teaching you combos you would use in an online match. Character guides do a great job of introducing the Street Fighter 6 roster, as they explain far more than just what super moves do. For example, JP’s guide describes him as a character that excels at keeping foes at a distance, otherwise known as a ‘zoner’ to fighting game enthusiasts. However, it never uses jargon, instead opting to demonstrate how each move works and when to use it. It even allows you to take control at any time to practice. I wish it were more explicit when there’s a new interaction for you to try out, as some prompts have the same inputs, but it’s otherwise a fantastic teacher of the basics. A muscular man being created in Street Fighter 6 World Tour preview.All of this couldn’t prepare me for what was to come – the main event: World Tour. After creating one of apparently many monstrosities birthed throughout the day, my would-be prodigy was let loose onto the streets of Metro City. Most NPCs here have levels next to their name; if that’s the case, they are up for a fight. Of course, I could just opt to win the bout and gain experience, but achieving objectives rewards you with extra Zenny to buy health-boosting meals from the pizza stand or equipable gear from the shop. All that’s on offer at first is a garishly pink cap, but my options soon expand. This immediately brought to mind the ProZD sketch about “ass-kicking outfits”. So what do I think about Street Fighter 6’s World Tour? Honestly, from what I’ve seen so far, it’s ridiculous in all the right ways. I would say that it’s similar to the Yakuza games but with the casual violence and item-hunting gameplay from Mortal Kombat: Deception’s Konquest mode. You can, for example, punch any NPC with a level to start a fight, slicing off a chunk of their health bar in the process. Is the chaos fun? Indeed it is. Does it create some odd scenarios? Yes again, especially so when I clock a cop with my foot and their nearby colleagues remain entirely unfazed. Along the way to visit Chun-Li, I see a ladder to the left, and curiosity gets the better of me. Climbing up, I find not only a few healing items and a permanent upgrade but also a level 27 NPC who looks like a superhero, complete with spandex. He asked me about destiny and how I could lead a better life. So, I respond to his preachiness by giving him a swift uppercut to his perfectly chiselled jawline. A created character is being attacked by five Mad Gear goons wearing boxes on their heads in Street Fighter 6 World Tour preview.This is the point where I discover that, with enough skill, I can take down an opponent many levels higher than me. The main trick is to look for when they shine brightly, as this highlights when they’re in a counterable state that leaves them vulnerable to follow-up combos. Wailing on this so-called crime fighter was simple, but he hits much harder thanks to the level difference, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Continuing through the game as intended, I find Chun-Li and quickly adopt her fighting style. With every level up, I can choose new skills, with completed skill tree brackets unlocking a new set of perks which primarily affect your regular stats. On top of this, I can assign moves from different fighter styles, such as Luke’s Flash Knuckle, even though I’m using Chun-Li’s basic actions. I also get a present partway through the following chapter, which I can use to increase my relationship with fighters, thus improving the mastery of their style and unlocking new moves to buy. I can imagine saving on these until I find a fighter whose style clicks with me, but I find the incentive of opening up new special moves to buy is a good compromise if I’m not a big fan of a fighter’s regular moves. It’s the fights against significantly more formidable foes that stand out most. Much later on, I biffed a construction worker in the chops. It turns out that the gimmick fights from Extreme battle mode make their way into World Tour, too, so there were falling girders adding to the chaos as I tried not to get wiped out by a knife-wielding level 28 foreman. Incidentally, this NPC is also one of the minigame vendors, of which I discovered a few, ranging from crushing the arcade mode truck to making pizzas by quickly punching in buttons. Not everyone waits for you to bop them on the snoot, as plenty of NPCs will come right for you. They’re typically Mad Gear goons wearing boxes on their heads, but I’ve also had to fight weaponised Roombas and drones. While you can fight more than one fighter at once, similar to Dramatic Battle modes from Street Fighter Alpha 3, there is a limit to the number on screen at once. That said, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many reinforcements can jump in afterwards, making for some tense fights at nighttime when more enemies are present. The other thing I enjoyed a lot, outside of being able to use Chun-Li’s spinning bird kick to cross between rooftops, was just how many references I saw to Capcom’s history. In Metro City plaza alone, there’s a fire juggler wearing the same outfit as the Molotov cocktail-throwing enemies from Final Fight, a ‘walk of fame’ listing forgotten Capcom fighting games from the past including Dreamcast 3D fighter Plasma Sword, and billboards advertising ‘Hakan Special extra virgin olive oil’ – a reference to Street Fighter 4’s oil wrestler of the same name. There are plenty more spread liberally throughout the game, and I did have to pause regularly to work them out. All of this is to say that Street Fighter 6’s World Tour is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and luckily that is most of the time. It clearly wants to cater not just to those who haven’t played a fighting game in a while but also to veterans who love Capcom’s back catalogue and silly nonsense. In my preview, I couldn’t leave the confines of Metro City, but I can imagine the other locales filled with wild fights. Who knows, perhaps Zangief’s training montage is just him wrestling a whole family of grizzly bears. Read the full article

[dottielovegood]

Ugly Christmas sweater and Elriel, please. 💕

Okay, this one is a bit sillier than most of my fics but I hope you like it anyway!

(Did I spend 30 minutes looking at Ugly Christmas sweaters online before writing this? Yes. Yes I did.)

Here's the inspiration:

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

Meowy Christmas

“If we don’t leave right now, we are going to be late.”

For once in his life, Azriel was running late and Cassian was waiting on him by the door, impatiently stomping his foot. In his defense, Azriel had been stuck in traffic for almost an hour after work. As soon as the first snow fell over Velaris, traffic jams were bound to happen, which is why he was now running late to Feyre’s birthday party. 

“I’m coming,” Azriel muttered and smoothed down his hair once last time. He looked down at his black trousers and the gray pullover. It’ll have to do, he thought and opened his bedroom door. Cassian was now pacing the hallway, already wearing his boots and jacket.  

Azriel rolled his eyes. “I’m like two minutes behind schedule. Chill.” He reached for his jacket by the door but Cassian stopped him with a hand around his wrist. 

“What are you wearing?” Cassian asked, sounding very close to horrified. 

Azriel looked down again, expecting to see an enormous stain somewhere. But no, everything looked just as it had a minute ago. 

“Where’s your Christmas sweater?” Cassian asked before Azriel even had the chance to open his mouth to answer. 

“My what?”

“Your Christmas sweater,” Cassian repeated, as if those words would bring any clarity to this situation. “The ugly Christmas sweater Feyre asked us to wear to her birthday party. Please, don’t tell me you forgot.”

Azriel’s brows drew together in confusion. “Feyre said nothing about wearing ugly Christmas sweaters.” 

“Yes, she did.”

Azriel shook his head. “I guess I didn’t get the memo.” Once again, he reached for his jacket. “Let’s just go.”

And once again, Cassian blocked him. “We are not leaving until you go and put on the sweater Feyre asked you to wear. It’s her birthday, Azriel. It’s the least you can do.”

Azriel threw out his hands in frustration. “Yeah, well. I don’t have a Christmas sweater and all the shops are closed at this time. I think she’ll forgive me.”

Cassian snorted. “You clearly don’t know Feyre. She said that she wouldn’t even let us in unless we wore one. It’s a freaking Ugly Christmas Sweater party, for crying out loud.”

Azriel let out a breath. He actually thought that he knew Feyre very well. She had been dating one of his best friends, Rhys, for a little over a year now and since Cassian and Rhys were more like brothers than friends, he did spend quite a lot of time with them. And for the last year, that also meant spending time with Feyre. Azriel absolutely didn’t mind. He liked her. Out of all the girls Rhys had been with, Feyre was definitely Azriel’s favorite. And from the way Rhys looked at her, he could tell that she was Rhys’s favorite too. She really had that man wrapped around her finger. 

Azriel tried to remember Feyre ever telling him about this stupid sweater thing, but he just came up blank. But then again, he had been very stressed during the last couple of weeks and sometimes he was only half-listening to what people were saying to him. So maybe she had told them and he had just been too preoccupied to remember that small detail. It didn’t matter, though, because Azriel didn’t have a Christmas sweater laying around. He didn’t even have anything more colorful than the gray button up he was currently wearing. 

“So, show me your sweater then since you find it so important,” he said and gestured to Cassian’s jacket.

Cassian grinned at him. “Oh, no. Definitely not. I am planning on winning the Ugly Christmas Sweater competition and I am not showing you mine. That’s cheating.”

Azriel really didn’t understand Cassian’s reasoning, but they also didn’t have time to stand here and discuss this. “Well, fine. That doesn’t solve the fact I don’t have a sweater. So congratulations, you’ll win and I will be kicked out. Let’s go.”

“Well,” Cassian began, a mischievous grin on his lips. “I do have a few extra sweaters. You can wear one of those.”

“You have more than one ugly Christmas sweater?”

Cassian shrugged. “I needed options. I obviously picked the best one for myself, but you can choose between the other two.”

Azriel glanced at his watch. They really needed to go and he hated being late. “Fine,” he bit out. No sooner than the word had left his mouth, Cassian, quite literally, ran to his room and returned with two knitted monstrosities. Azriel couldn’t see the details yet, but the colors were enough to make him want to puke. Red and gold and green and… was the glitter? 

Cassian handed him one of the sweaters and Azriel held it up in front of himself. “Oh, fuck no, Cass.” The sweater was red and there was a giant Christmas tree on the front. But that wasn’t the worst part. The tree was decorated with tiny baubles, tinsel and something that looked like real lights, and above it, the white letters read “LET’S GET LIT.” 

“It lights up,” Cassian exclaimed. “Look.” He pressed the star atop the Christmas tree. Azriel almost let go of the sweater in pure horror. 

“Fuck, no.” He repeated. 

“Well, it’s either that one or…” he held up the other sweater in front of his own body, “this one.” A shit eating grin spread across Cassian’s face and it took Azriel a few seconds to even comprehend what he was looking at. 

“Is that…” Azriel turned his head sideways, “is that Jesus riding a reindeer?” 

“It sure is!” 

“For fuck’s sake Cassian, couldn’t you have gotten something remotely normal?”

“That’s the thing about ugly Christmas sweaters – they are supposed to be ugly. Now pick one.”

Azriel looked at the thing he was holding, shuddering at the mere thought of wearing something so horrendous. But then he looked at the fucking Jesus shirt, and that was, if possible, even worse. And why was Jesus wearing sunglasses? 

“Fine. I’ll wear this one,” he said and pressed the button on the star again to turn off the LED-lights. “But there will no fucking lights, okay?”

Cassian was still grinning. “Sure. Just put it on so we can go.”

Azriel gave him a vulgar gesture and walked back to his room to change. He didn’t even glance at the mirror. He didn’t want to see himself like this. 

Feyre better love it, he thought as he shrugged on his jacket. Luckily, they were all wearing these ugly things, which meant that no one would care that much about the atrocity he now hid underneath his jacket. He wondered what kind of sweater Elain would wear. Not that it mattered. She could wear the ugliest shirt ever made and would still be the most beautiful woman in the room. 

God, he really shouldn’t think of her like that, but there was no helping it. Elain was Feyre’s sister, which should make her off-limits but Azriel had fallen for her anyway. They had met a few months ago when Feyre and Rhys had invited everyone to a barbeque party and Azriel had almost forgotten his own name when Elain walked up to him and introduced herself. He felt drawn to her instantly and they had spent most of that night together on a picnic blanket. Nothing had happened between them, of course not. But just talking to her had felt so natural. So easy. And it was never easy for Azriel to make small talk, which is why his friend group looked exactly the same as it had in High School. When he made a friend, he kept them very close to his heart. He didn’t really feel the need to get to know more people. That is– until he met Elain. He really wanted to get to know Elain, and throughout the months, it felt as if they had gotten to know each other. He knew that she dreamt about owning a garden where she could plant flowers and vegetables. He knew that her favorite color was lilac and that her favorite move was My Girl. He knew that she had a great sense of humor and that she smelled like jasmine and honey. And he knew exactly what her fingers felt like when they brushed against his. 

They had never gone further than a longing glance or the tentative touch of fingers, but he wanted more. God help him, he wanted more. Sometimes, in the dead of night when sleep evaded him, he would think of her. Not in a sexual way, but he would think about what it would be like to take her on a date. To touch her. Kiss her. To call her his. 

He knew that he shouldn’t want her like that, but he couldn’t help it. But then again, he wasn’t the only one who was fawning after an Archeron sister. Cassian had never talked to Azriel about Nesta, but he could see the way he looked at her. The way he followed her every move. Even if they acted as though they loathed each other, Azriel knew that there was something else hidden beneath the surface, and it wasn’t hate. Far from it. 

Azriel couldn’t help but wonder if it would be odd if the three of them dated the three sisters. Maybe it would? But then again, it’s not like he had any control over his feelings. He didn’t choose to like Elain in that way, it just happened and now there was no turning back. She was under his skin and he had found that he really liked having her there. But now he wanted more, and he didn’t even know if that was possible. Did she even like him like that? He had no idea, and he was not about to make a fool of himself today by asking. Especially not while wearing a shirt that said ‘LET’S GET LIT’. He wouldn’t even be able to take himself seriously.

-----

Azriel was the designated driver since Cassian was known for spiking the eggnog. Azriel didn’t mind. He liked driving. He did not, however, enjoy the fact that Cassian saw that as an opportunity to decide what music to listen to. 

“If you play that fucking song one more time, I will drive us into a tree.”

Cassian laughed. “Who died and made you The Grinch? It's a tradition to listen to Mariah Carey in December.”

“Nobody needs to listen to that bloody song twelve times in a row,” Azriel muttered. It wasn’t the first time someone had called him the Grinch, and it would certainly not be the last. He found Christmas decorations tacky and the music was just… well, it was Christmas music. Azriel was absolutely positive that they played Christmas music in Hell. It would certainly lead to an eternity of torture, that’s for sure. 

When they pulled up to Rhysand’s townhouse a few minutes later, Azriel was pretty sure his ears were bleeding. Cassian really didn’t know how to hold a tune, and he could definitely not hit Mariah’s whistle notes, even though he tried. Multiple times. 

“Ready to lose the sweater contest?” Cassian asked as they walked up to the house. Cassian was carrying the presents they had gotten Feyre under his arm. Azriel had gotten her a biography on her favorite artist and Cassian had gotten her the ugliest christmas decoration Azriel had ever seen. It was an inside joke, apparently. 

“This is one contest I will be happy to lose.” And he meant it. Azriel was usually very competitive, but he couldn’t care less about winning this particular contest. 

Azriel knocked on the door and within seconds, he was greeted by Mor's smiling face. “You’re here!” she beamed and opened the door wider. “Come in, come in.” She was holding a glass of wine and from the redness of her cheeks, Azriel could tell that it wasn’t her first. 

“You started without us?” Cassian asked and gestured to her wine. 

“That’s what you get for being late.” 

Azriel looked at his watch. “We’re only fifteen minutes late. I’ve heard that all the cool people arrive at least 30 minutes late.”

“Well, I guess you're not particularly cool, then,” Feyre said, a playful smirk playing on her lips. She had just walked up behind Mor and she looked absolutely radiant in a dark blue dress covered in silver stars. 

Azriel opened his mouth to wish her Happy Birthday, but the words got stuck in his throat when he looked at her dress again. A dress. Not an ugly Christmas sweater. 

His eyes drifted to Mor and sure enough, she was wearing her signature red dress. But there was no Christmas-red near her. No blinking lights, no awful puns, no ugly santa. No Jesus riding a freaking reindeer. They were wearing normal clothes. 

Azriel glared at Cassian who was currently unzipping his jacket. Underneath, he was wearing a black, knitted sweater. Black. Not red. Not green. Not gold or fucking glitter. 

Black. 

“What are you wearing?” 

Cassian shot him a giant smile. “Oh, this one,” he put a hand to his chest. “It’s new. Do you like it? It was on sale and the....”

“Don’t play stupid,” Azriel said through gritted teeth. He was still wearing his jacket. He was going to wear this jacket for the rest of the night, even if that meant that he would drown in sweat. 

“Can I take your coat, Az?” Feyre asked a bit too sweetly. 

He narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I’m just offering to take your coat like a good hostess.” Her voice was sugary sweet and Azriel knew from the way they were all staring at him now that he had been betrayed. His friends had betrayed him. He was Jesus on a reindeer and they were Judas. 

They were all Judas and this fucking sweater was the kiss of betrayal. 

“I think I’ll keep it on, thanks.”

Rhys had joined them in the hallway now and he was smirking as he took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass. “It’s very warm in here, Az. We’ve got the fire going.”

Azriel could tell that they were all holding back their laughter. He let out a breath and counted to three just so he wouldn’t get the urge to strangle them all. “Can I borrow a shirt, Rhys?”

“Why? Did you spill on your way here?”

“No, but I would…”

“Oh, just take that damn jacket off,” Cassian all but shouted. 

Azriel had never liked being the center of attention and standing here in this hallway while all his friends watched him as if he was about to perform a magic trick made him feel all kinds of awkward. He loved his friends, but right now, they were all assholes. 

With a sigh, he reached for his zipper and he couldn’t help but notice the way Mor and Feyre held their breath when he started to tug it down. As soon as they saw a glimpse of the color of his sweater, Feyre started jumping up and down. “Yes!” she cried out and pointed to Rhys. “You owe me ten bucks. And a fancy dinner.”

Rhys just draped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I like being indebted to you, Feyre Darling,” he murmured and kissed the top of her head. 

When Azriel had opened his jacket fully, it was Mor’s turn to punch the air. “Yes! There’s glitter! Amren owes me a bottle of wine.”

Azriel just stared at his friends. Or, at the people he thought were his friends. Clearly, they were just a bunch of assholes. “You betted on me?” 

Cassian patted his shoulder. “That’s what you get when you miss Sunday dinner.”

“It was one time!”

“And that’s all it takes.”

“God, I hate you all.” Azriel muttered and walked past Cassian. “I need a drink. You can drive home, you asshat.”

“Azriel is about to get lit!” Mor shouted after him as he stalked to the kitchen. 

------

Azriel grabbed a glass from the kitchen counter and poured himself some red wine before walking further into the house. Feyre had invited quite a few guests and Azriel recognized maybe half of them. Viviane and Kallias were kissing underneath the mistletoe. Varian and Amren were talking to Tarquin. Nesta, Feyre’s sister, was standing by the Christmas tree with two of her friends. Azriel had met them once or twice before but he couldn’t for the life of him remember their names. There were so many people, but there was only one person he wanted to see. 

He scanned the room as he made his way over to the fireplace. One blond man Azriel didn’t recognize raised his glass and shouted “Hell, yeah! Let’s get lit, man,” from across the room. Azriel just frowned at him. He put his glass down on the mantle and crossed his arms over his body. Everyone else was dressed in normal clothes. Azriel stuck out like a sore thumb and he hated it. The sweater itself wasn’t that bad, but it was the attention that came with it that made him want to run out the backdoor. Azriel had always been one to keep to the shadows. He didn’t like attention. He didn’t want to be looked at. He just wanted to…be. Be left alone, preferably. 

He did not, however, want to be the only person wearing a weird outfit. But alas, that’s exactly what he was tonight and there was nothing to do about it. 

-----

A few minutes later, Cassian walked up to him. “Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t sound like he meant it. 

“And why are you sorry, Cassian?”

“Well, if I knew that a colorful sweater would turn you into a freaking emo, then I would…well, I would probably have made you wear it anyway. But this–” Cassian gestured to Azriel’s face, “really doesn’t match this,” he pointed at the ugly, knitted Christmas tree. “You need to cheer up. Get in the Christmas spirit.”

Azriel’s eyebrows drew together. “Did you just call me emo?” He hadn’t been called that since High School, and back then he actually was an emo kid. Side fringe, eyeliner, band t-shirts and a bad attitude - he had it all. 

Cassian shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. “Yeah. An emo that is about to get lit.” He raised his glass to Azriel in an attempt to make him smile, but Azriel just narrowed his eyes. He was already getting very tired of that joke. 

He gestured to the glass in Cassian’s hand, “You are driving later, remember?”

“Yeah, this is just soda. I didn’t even spike the eggnog.” 

Azriel was genuinely surprised. “What has happened to you? Did the ghost of Christmas past visit you last night? Did he make you think about all the bad choices you’ve ever made?”

Cassian let out a humorless laugh. “Something like that…” his eyes drifted over to the giant Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Azriel knew exactly what, or who, Cassian was looking at. Nesta and Cassian usually acted as if they hated each other, but anyone could see that there was something else burning beneath the harsh words and icy glares. Cassian let out a breath, “I just want to make a good tenth expression.”

Azriel gave him a tight smile and patted his shoulder. “The tenth time’s the charm.” 

“Right,” Cassian drained his glass and turned to face Azriel. “How do I look?”

Azriel shrugged. “You should have worn the Jesus sweater. Then her focus would be on something other than your stupid face.”

“Fuck you,” Cassian laughed. 

“Fuck you right back.”

Cassian put his glass next to Azriel’s on the mantle and took one last, deep breath – as if readying himself for what was about to come. He looked at Cassian as he approached Nesta and her friends and couldn’t help but cringe at the way Nesta glared at him. She was certainly a handful. Good thing that Cassian was nothing if not persistent. Azriel would have given up as soon as she looked at him with those cold eyes. They were nothing like Elain’s eyes. Elain was warmth and light – there was no coldness to any of her features. Sure, she could bite back when she needed to, but she usually met people with kindness and grace first. That was one of the many things he adored about her. 

Azriel leaned against the wall and let his gaze drift to the window. It was still snowing outside. Azriel had always loved the snow, even if he sometimes got stuck in traffic because of it. There was just something about the way it made the entire world brighter. 

“Hi.” 

A soft voice brought Azriel’s attention back to the party. He hadn’t even noticed that anyone had walked up to him. 

“Are you pondering the meaning of life?” Elain asked, a playful smile tugging at the corner of her lips. 

“Always,” Azriel answered and returned the smile. 

God, she looked lovely. How did she become more beautiful every time he saw her? She was wearing her hair in some sort of half down, half up hairstyle that Azriel loved. One lock of hair had come loose and Azriel had to tighten his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching up and tucking it behind her ear. 

He took in the sight of her. She was wearing a short, black skirt, knitted tights and…

At first, Azriel couldn’t believe his eyes. He had to blink a few times, but no, it was real. She was really wearing that. 

“Shit, they got you too?” he asked and gestured to her sweater. It was almost as ugly as his. 

Elain blushed and looked down at herself. She was lovely when she blushed, Azriel thought to himself. She was always lovely, of course, even when she was wearing a shirt that said “Meowy Christmas”. The cat underneath the letters seemed to be staring into his soul. 

“Not exactly,” she said and met his gaze again. Her brown eyes were full of warmth and Azriel wanted to drown in them. God, he really had it bad for this girl. “I might have overheard Cassian and Feyre when they talked about the bet. I didn’t want you to feel lonely.” She pointed at his shirt. “It’s not as bad as I thought though. I heard Cassian say something about Jesus and a reindeer.”

Her laughter was like music to his ears. 

“Yeah, that was one of the options he gave me. I think I made a wise choice.”

“Definitely. I actually kind of like this one. Mine is definitely uglier!”

Azriel chuckled at that. “Oh, I’m not so sure about that. You haven’t seen the worst part.”

Elain raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Oh, now I’m intrigued.”

Azriel wouldn’t have pushed that damned button for anyone else, but just the thought of her smile made him raise his hand to that star atop the knitted christmas tree. He really had it bad for this girl. 

As soon as the multicolored lights turned on, Elain’s face lit up. “That doesn’t make it worse,” she laughed “That’s an improvement. Now the text makes sense.”

“I would still like to argue that my sweater should win the ugly sweater contest.” 

“Oh, I’m not so sure about that, Azriel.” The way his name sounded from her lips made him want to reach out and capture it with his mouth. He often thought about what she would taste like. What she would sound like if they ever…

No, he really shouldn’t think about that. Definitely not now when she was right there. 

“I have a secret weapon, too,” she smirked. She put her finger on the cat’s nose and Azriel tried not to think about the fact that he was currently looking right at her breasts. 

When she pushed down on the nose there was an unmistakable meowing sound. 

For a second, Azriel just stared at her. Then, as if he wasn’t in control of his body, he tipped his head back and laughed. He probably hadn’t laughed that hard in weeks. Under any normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have found a meowing sweater particularly funny, but the fact that she was standing there with a giant smile on her face while wearing that hideous sweater just made him feel all warm inside. And the fact that she had worn it for him only made the entire situation feel even more absurd. Absurdly great. 

“Meowy Christmas,” she said sheepishly, that lovely blush spreading across her cheeks again. 

“Okay,” Azriel said when he had calmed down, “you win.”

“I thought so,” she said and tossed her hair in a very Elle Woods kind of way. He blamed Mor for knowing that reference. “I did come to win, after all.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “What’s my prize?”

Whatever you want, he wanted to say. Just ask, and I will give you everything. 

------

They stayed by the fire for a long time, just enjoying each other’s company. Elain told him that she had recently bought an allotment and she couldn’t wait for spring when she could finally plant all the flowers and vegetables she wanted to grow. Azriel had never cared much about flowers or growing vegetables, but he still loved hearing her talk about it. Her eyes were bright and she was gesturing wildly with her hands while she spoke. He could listen to her talk all night. 

“Do you want to get something to drink?” she asked after what could have been hours. He honestly had no idea. Time moved differently when he was with her. Azriel glanced at his forgotten wine glass and nodded. “Sure.” Together they walked to the kitchen and it was almost as if stepping into a different world. Everyone was scattered around the house but the kitchen was surprisingly empty. In here, the Christmas music and conversations sounded muffled.

Elain reached for the whisky and poured herself a decent amount. “Want some?”

“Sure, thank you.” He looked at the bottle and was pleased to find that it was the good kind. Rhys usually hid that one when he, Cassian and Mor came over.

Elain handed him his glass and leaned against the counter top. Azriel suddenly didn’t know what to do with his body so he just reached for one of the cupcakes on a tray on the kitchen island. He wasn’t even planning on eating it. It was just easier to control his body when he was holding things in both hands. And he would hopefully not be as tempted to touch her, which was a bonus. 

“I made those,” Elain said. “It’s gingerbread with white chocolate icing.”

He wasn’t surprised that she had baked something. She usually brought some sort of treat to every gathering she was invited to, and they were always amazing. So now he obviously had to eat one. 

While holding her gaze, he put down his glass and peeled the paper off the bottom of the cupcake before taking a big bite. He could feel the frosting get all over his nose, which would have made him slightly horrified if Elain hadn’t giggled at the sight. If she hadn’t stepped closer. If she hadn’t reached up…

With one slender finger, she wiped the frosting off his nose and put that same finger into her own mouth. He just stared at her. Stared at that finger between her lips. Stared at her tongue when she licked the last of the icing off. 

God, help him. This was torture. 

“So,” she popped that finger out of her mouth. “What did you think?” she asked, her expression one of pure innocence. As if she had no idea what she was doing to him. 

He swallowed. “Uh.. I,” he swallowed again. “It was delicious.” He had no idea if that was true. He had barely tasted that cupcake. He had been way too focused on her finger. On her mouth. Her lips, her tongue. Her. 

She was still smiling at him. Still looking all innocent. “I’m glad you like it.” Elain took a sip of her drink. 

“And what did you think?” he blurted out. He had no idea what he even meant. What did you think about the frosting? What do you think about the expensive whisky? What were you thinking when you sucked your finger in front of me?

The corner of her lips quirked up into a playful smile. “Well, I think…” she took one step closer to him. “That Feyre should have put up more mistletoe around the house.”

Did it suddenly get very warm in here? Yes, Azriel was sure that someone had just turned on every single radiator in the house. The house might even be on fire. 

“Yeah?” His voice sounded rougher than intended. “And why is that?”

He knew the answer even before the words left her mouth. He knew, but he needed to hear her say it. Needed to know that she felt the same. 

“Because maybe you would have kissed me by now.”

She was standing so close now. He could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, could count every eyelash, every freckle. And in that moment, there was nothing Azriel wanted more than to kiss her. To taste her. 

“Elain,” his voice was barely more than a whisper. He moved his hand to her neck and relished the feeling of her soft skin against his fingertips. She shuddered at his touch and Azriel needed more. Wanted. Needed. Craved. “There are many reasons why I would want to kiss you. I don’t need a plant to tell me what to do”

“So why haven’t you?” she breathed. 

Why hadn’t he?

Suddenly, the fact that he hadn’t kissed Elain yet seemed absurd. It seemed like it went against all logic, and he needed to rectify it right now. 

This time, it was Azriel’s turn to take a step toward her. He needed to feel her body against his. She looked up at him with those beautiful brown eyes and all he could see hidden there was offer and permission. He stroked his thumb over her jaw and leaned down…

Meow. 

Azriel jerked back at the sound. He stared at Elain and then at her sweater. Her meowing sweater. Elain also looked down at the ugly knitted cat as if she had forgotten all about it. “I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks turning pink again. She had never looked more beautiful. 

“Don’t be.” His hand slid up her neck again, tilting her face just the way he wanted it. Her lips parted slightly and Azriel could almost taste her breath – whisky and white chocolate and all of his dreams coming true. “Meowy Christmas,” he murmured before closing the distance between them. Azriel could feel her smile against his lips and he had never felt happier than he did in this very moment. He buried his hand in her hair and she let out a soft moan that made him want to be anywhere but here in Rhysand’s kitchen. He wanted her in his home. In his bed. 

He wanted her coming on his tongue. He needed to know if every part of her tasted just as sweet. 

When Elain wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, her sweater let out another muffled meow. 

Meowy Christmas, indeed. 

[harkerriver]

Silence was something that was taken for granted by River. As a child she would walk through the woods where her family called home and enjoy the sounds of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves, would sit by the creek and listen to the water rush by and at night, soak in the cricket’s song. It was often boring at times, and she would sit and daydream about the world outside of the basic cult that her family were involved in, but now it seemed a little bit like heaven. 

The day she received the notice about who she really was seemed like her only chance to escape. She didn’t even hesitate as the chance to be rescued from the hellish monotony of isolation was presented, but if she did, she might have had the time to contemplate all that it really meant. Magic, creatures, vampires, werewolves, faeries… All real. It sounded silly, but nothing sounded sillier than finding out you were a descendant of a legendary bloodline that hunted vampires since the dark ages. Part of River thought it was a joke. Still, there was a decent amount of cash and a plane ticket, and being as eager to get away as she was, she took it.

The reality was different from the fantasy, although she wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting. Romania was pretty now that it wasn’t a war torn regime, but the warm months were eclipsed by the longer, colder winters. The country itself wasn’t bad, but not knowing the language only added to her lack of social skills, as did the cultural differences and the color of her skin. The large house that was used as a hub for trainees resembled the school from X-Men on the outside, but on the inside, it was like a walking boobytrap. There was so many things laying around, so many blind corners, and so much foot traffic that someone who grew up in the woods with next to nothing, it felt like a maze. 

And then there was her room. It was nice, but she shared it with two other girls who weren’t the most friendly for a number of reasons. River knew she was strange, but these girls looked down on her for every single thing she did, and it made spending time in her room just to relax impossible. Without a safe haven, and with the house so lively, the only place she found peace and quiet was in her dreams, and that too, wasn’t held sacred. Her training started at the ass crack of dawn, which meant dragging her sorry ass out of bed to shovel a hot meal in her mouth and shower before the rest of the day was spent working on her shitty stamina and fighting skills. 

Of course, all of that couldn’t come out of her mouth when asked a logic, simple, but loaded question by her mentor and trainer, Desmond. He was a hot but grumpy man with an imposing figure, skilled beyond logical reason in basically every fighting style, and not great to talk to. How could she tell him that she didn’t share his same unyielding dedication to monster killing? How could she tell him that she took the first chance to get away from her miserable life and didn’t think it through when he lived and breathed hunting?

“Ehmm.” She mumbled in return to the tune of ‘I don’t know’. Knowing it wasn’t going to do, she added, “ It feels like something I had to do? I mean… to find me– like for the organization to find me all the way in the middle of the woods and stuff like… Maybe I’m meant to do it?” River shrugged. She resisted the urge to nod in agreement when he mentioned being tough on her, but for a moment after, it seemed like a tiny bit of softness came through. She couldn’t exactly tell, but it felt like he actually cared about something happening to her. 

“I wanna be here.” She said with minimal confidence. “I mean, if I can make a difference or even save one person’s life, then it’s worth something, isn’t it?” She asked, though she was wondering all the while if it actually was. She wasn’t a coward, but she didn’t know if she would ever be as prepared as Desmond always seemed to be. Still, she held her head somewhat high and found a hint of courage that was enough to look him in the eye. “ I never really had a family as much as I had a community. My parents weren’t really parents at all, and I didn’t really have any friends to speak of. I don’t even think they’re thinking about me now…”

@harkerriver

There was a stillness in the air, even in the small bouts of a breeze that crept through the open window. It was peaceful, sun hidden behind heavy, gray clouds - a frequent climate in Romania. It should have calmed him, quieted the thoughts as they flashed back and forth, brought him the sleep his body so desperately needed. Some hours went by, eyes bore into the sanded wooden planks of the ceiling, heard the creaking of others who had just woken and eager in their morning routines. He often preceded them, awake in the earliest hours of the morning to run or train.

Locations were moved consistently for their small organization of hunters, for various reasons, namely protection and concealment. This time, however, for another reason entirely. Save for the fact that they were, he assumed, much closer to the danger, Desmond was confident their newest safe house would not be found - and riddled with worry about another. Several towns were reported to have unusual activity only seen by keener eye. One of his associates had been tracking the murders and disappearances of humans in surrounding areas, none of which included a town right smack in the middle.

Desmond had been a hunter for as long as he could remember. It was his family’s lineage, a way of life so devout it was nearly a religion. He had seen the passing of missing friends never come back home, groups decimated in a single night. They never traveled alone and so their absences were felt deeply. While their organization had dwindled in numbers they still remained a connected unit, some migrating and collected in different areas, but never alone. To remain a union was the most crucial rule of their trade. It was not often a hunter was found alone.

Which made her appearance that much more mystifying. Unaware of how it might be perceived, or perhaps entirely unaware, a young girl showed up quite literally on their doorstep. She had a bag over her shoulder and a paper in her hand, a struggling smile hanging at the side of her mouth. He was not the one to open the door and yet he saw her from far away, tearing at a biscuit from his plate of food. He made his way forth for an introduction and line of questioning, looking over the paper of what seemed to be her own ancestry, blood of a generation of hunters like his own. After offering her a meal, he assigned some others to make a room for her, giving her fresh and clean clothes, a night of relaxation before her first run with training.

As it was morning, daylight was perfect cover for training. They commenced these for the most part in the vast expanse of a sheltered forest which provided them the privacy needed. There was a tray of assorted weapons, all useful in their own special way. This morning, Desmond found himself with the rise of the sun, demanding the same of his new recruit. She didn’t seem aggravated at the request, abnormally quiet and eager to learn, nervous all the same. Part of him wanted to reject the task entirely. She was tall, sure, but thin, she looked almost frail. He wanted to turn her from this cursed task and save her from herself - but any numbers they could add to their rank were so significant he could not pass up the opportunity.

“Why do you want to become a hunter?” He could not say he cared all that much for those who served with him. He liked them, aided them in their ideology and sympathized with whatever tragedy brought them there. But he felt nothing, perhaps at all. What he’d lost over the years stripped him of his warmth, and hardened him. “Is it because it’s what you really want, or because you think it is something you’re destined to do, because a piece of paper says this is who your family was?” He only made them stronger, it seemed to be all that he was good at. Each time someone did not return he did not grieve like the others, angered by guilt, his failure for not training them better, for longer, not pressing them harder.

This would not be the case for her. “If it seems like I’m being tough on you it’s because I am. I’d rather you hate me and be alive.” An open collection of assorted weapons was laid out in front of them and he moved aside, leaving her with a choice in range of weapons. “I have seen more people go and never come back than I have seen grow older. If you choose this, and this is what you really want, you need to be comfortable with what’s out there, the very real possibility of death. We all died the day we took the pledge to serve this mission.” He searched her eyes for something that felt truthful, in search of her real feelings. “You may never see your family again, your friends, people you love. Are you sure this is what you want?”

[sunflower-live]

Yes, I’m aware how long it’s been since I made one of these! Enjoy!

1 - Songbird | ltdoncaster91 | 113,976

When a familiar face from a drunken one night stand makes an unfortunate appearance in Sailor's Point, Louis quickly learns that it's not that easy to live with someone you absolutely, definitely, 100% hate. Especially not when they start getting under your skin a little bit too much and have these piercing green eyes you can't seem to get out of your head…

2 - Where you’d rather be | @itsmotivatingcara | 103,456

Detective Harry styles has a murder to solve, he's just gotten out of a long-term relationship and he's certainly not looking for another. Regardless of whether the man who run's the SAR unit's blue eyes sparkle with promise and a sense of belonging. Something he may or may not have been searching for all his life.

3 - Into the Weeds | kairosclerosis | 87,788

Following the whispered words of a stranger, Harry Styles finds himself in the small town of Peri Ridge. It’s a town nestled within overgrown forests, raging rivers, and ominous mountains- full of unkept secrets, the aura of freedom, and lost people seeking to be found. It’s here that Harry works to uncover all the parts of himself that he buried long ago.

With the help of the captivating bartender, Louis, who he can’t seem to stop daydreaming about, and his enchanting group of friends; Harry remembers what it is to be alive.

4 - ti dedico le autostrade che portano al mare (i dedicate to you the highways that bring you to the sea) | me_her_themoon / @dreamersdivin-headfirst | 87,667

Louis goes on hiatus for six months to a small coastal town in Italy where he doesn't expect to fall in love with the charming baker.

5 - Given a chance, I’d show you my heart | sweetstrawberryheadache | 78,166

Louis Tomlinson is a 28 year old journalist living in London and working for the Hoxton District, a famous music magazine. With a 3000-word article, he can basically make or break someone’s career. His world is turned upside down when Harry Styles, hot stuff photographer, gets transferred in London as the new HD Head of Photography.

6 - my hand’s at risk, i fold | crochetsunsets | 67,325

Louis’ a model, Harry’s an actor. Their lives are on separate tracks. What happens when two ships meet in the night, and what does it mean when they’ve met before?

7 - Will You Be My Melody? | kevinsleftfoot | 42,025

Harry Styles is an internationally famous pop star about to go on a world tour and is constantly trending on Twitter.

Louis Tomlinson is an unpaid intern at Twitter HQ who writes descriptions of topics that are trending.

You can guess how it goes.

8 - happier, prettier | @outropeace | 40,348

It wasn't that Harry hated Louis Tomlinson. He was just a Broadway kid who got insanely famous thanks to some silly videos on an even sillier app, got a label contract, forgot about his roots and now he was pretending to be a pop star. He didn't even mind that everyone was actually buying his act of being sweeter than honey. It was that Harry knew that game too well — he was inside it after all — he knew how fake people could get and how manipulative they actually were.

So no, it wasn’t that he didn’t like Louis, it was that he reminded him of everything he didn’t like in a person. Louis reminded him a bit too much of... her.

9 - Something As Simple As This | frenchkiss | 34,625

Trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere after a blizzard derails Louis from getting home, he and the attractive stranger who owns the place have nothing to do but... well, each other. It would be a real shame if feelings got in the way, and even more of a shame if a secret about this stranger's identity turned both their lives upside down and inside out.

10 - Sweet as Honey | TeamLouis / @teamlouis2022 | 21,501

Louis has always been shit at cooking. When he discovers Sweet as Honey on Instagram, owned by chef Harry Styles, he intends to mock him by recreating his recipes with his awful skills, posting photos on his own Instagram account, Nailed It. It's all fun until Harry asks to meet him.

[thesparringpanther]

The Dragon Prince Book 4 Review:

Just writing down my longer thoughts. It's not like this show will be back this year anyway so.

Pros:

Janaya. My crops were watered. I love delving into Janai's character a bit and showcasing her trials and tribulations as the Sunfire Queen, along with the social dynamic of marrying a human. It's cute seeing Amaya support Janai through her troubles too. I was really hoping the show would showcase the troubles of humans and Elves integrating on a larger scale and not just end with "humans and Sunfire Elves are cool now, let's focus on the 5 other tribes that hate humans" and I'm glad they delivered.

Magefam, but more importantly, Claudia, stole the show. She has stepped up in her villainy and while (thankfully) kept her immaturity and, it's fun to see her slowly become crueler as well. The new spells she used were really good and really made her a threat to the cast and a joy to watch. Also they gave her a different outlook outside of trying to keep her family together (because daddy issues can only take you so far) with her actually believing Aaravos, whereas Viren was always just using him for power.

Terry, full stop. My fear was that Terry would have nothing to him and be an obvious Soren replacement, but, Terry has no real need to impress Viren and somewhat impresses Viren by just being himself. It's a breath of fresh air for the Magefam dynamic, because Soren couldn't impress Viren without becoming someone he's not, and Claudia is his spitting image as a mage, albeit sillier, so even at her worst he'll still love her. Its both heartwarming and heartbreaking that Terry has a closer bond with Viren than Season 1 Soren did (I don't think he likes either BUT he's groaning less with Terry).

It's fun seeing Viren essentially go "Are we the baddies?" to Claudia, who at the very least has murdered people by now.

Ezran has grown so much its unreal. Its very prominent in the 2nd episode with Ezran really wanting to have a whole "and then we all held hands and forgot we've been trying to murder each other for centuries" energy for Zubeia & Zym, it amounts to what a 10-year old's expectation of resolving such a deep-seated conflict, but then stepping up and acknowledging that what he was doing was unrealistic, you cannot just forget about the pain and the damage and the loss and pretend nothing bad happened to strive for peace, you have to remember all of those negative emotions and still strive for peace anyways because you will inevitably just keep causing that same pain for future generations. That boy was raised right.

Rex Igneous is so good. Love the way he was bored of visitors and tore down Avizandum. To me he feels like he's indifferent to humans, whereas Avizandum, Sol Regem, and Zubeia probably were anti-human. Makes me wonder how the Tideblood & Moonshadow Archdragon will act.

Sad that Aaravos had to leave the show for a while to hype his return but him making fun of all the heroes before smashing his own mirror is soooooooo worth it. He knows how important presentation is for villains. I do wonder if that means that Aaravos' consciousness was transferred to Sir Sparklepuff and he didn't want the heroes to wonder why he's braindead in that mirror.

Cons:

I mean I could go on an episode-to-episode basis but uh:

The entire season feels like a first draft, which is disappointing after waiting for 3 years. Overall it's a downgrade compared to Seasons 2 and 3, and at times even worse than Season 1. There are still things I enjoyed but honestly this is the show's worst outing.

The pacing, particularly the Drakewood episodes, are cramped. It doesn't breathe. Character interactions that SHOULD have happened here (Callum & Rayla, Soren & Viren) but didn't because we had other things to address. I get it, but you can't repeat the emotions that could follow Soren after being abandoned by Rayla and captured, stripped of his armor, berated by Claudia that everyone else is treating him like a joke, meeting his dad that makes him feel small and unwanted. Especially when this will be the nicest Viren will ever be in all 7 seasons. I can only hope it was a deleted scene and moved later on so the words can sink in.

Soren being missing and possibly dead or gravely hurt should have raised the stakes and tension for the original Dragang. Instead it feels like a complete afterthought by the start of the next episode.

Rayla.....oof. Disappointing on all accounts. For such a setup of her going on a revenge quest (in a show where revenge quests just cause even more damage) by abandoning her newfound family it's anti-climactic. It's a good thing that they didn't have Rayla come back with info, since that would justify that it was a good thing Rayla left. Most of this season felt like Rayla tagging along for the ride rather than Rayla being one of the main characters.

Maybe it didn't click for me, but, like, alot of the Rayllum scenes didn't have the bite that comes with your ex coming back into your life after ghosting you. There was no emotional catharsis for both. Ultimately their breakup and reunion did not fix any flaw either of them had, so it is functionally meaningless.

Culturally insensitive Amaya works. Culturally insensitive Amaya that is the fiance of the Sunfire Queen does not. The plot makes more sense coming from an Amaya that's either recently dating Janai or pining for her and has recently begun living in the Lux Aurea camps, but it looks like she's been living with Sunfire Elves since the end of Season 3? Not knowing their mourning ritual when this was done en masse following the Fall of Lux Aurea when she was quite literally there? Engaged to the Sunfire Queen? Make it make sense. I'm also not expecting that Amaya should be well-researched into Sunfire culture eithrr, but there needs to be a balance in what Amaya should know and what she shouldn't.

Really disappointed that the other human kingdoms didn't exist this season. Both in the case that Ezran can now do what he wants instead of having to balance between leading a Kingdom and adventuring with Callum & Rayla (which was cool to spin in Book 2 and 3), but also that I think it would be important to highlight that there are just as many factions of humans as there are of elves. Just because 1 kingdom is cool with Elves and Dragons doesn't mean the rest are. Granted the humans seem to be more unified than the Elves, as no other Elves are helping the Sunfire Elves rebuild, so maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. But I still think Ezran should be making policies ALONG with the rest of the Kingdoms rather than just Katollis like how Viren was doing it, even if the end result will just be Ezran running off again.

The season finale is both anticlimactic and confusing, and neither are in a good way. Are the Dragang supposed to end the season without the map so they have to chase the Magefam first? Is that why Rex threw a huge temper tantrum last minute? Why does his trust of the Dragang stay at 0 even after Zubeia calms him down? Is the plot of the show (fate of the world) hinging on the cast not wanting to disturb Rex again? HUH?

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[frankhightower]

Pokémon TF drive page 4: Arrival in Goldenrod

The transformation reaches 12.5% thanks to Jespe on FA (represented here by Growlithe) and an anonymous donator. Donate at PayPal.me/frankhghtwr !

I'm actually bending the rules a little: the fonder memory is panel 4, but I thought no one would "get" it, so I decided to go with panel 1 (that, and the fact that I was getting a little tired of the 5% "form").

Panel 4 actually happened in real life: I was taking my little sister on the train, and there was a dog trying to get into the station. The station workers didn't pay any attention to him. He eventually reached the ticketing area, and they still didn't pay much attention to him. But when he was about to enter the platform, the entire station crew dropped what they were doing and ran to heard him out. It actually looked sillier than what I'm portraying here because the workers kept frog-hopping into this position. After the initial confusion, the dog decided this was the best game ever, much to the workers' chagrin, and returned for several days to play again!

Before anyone accuses me of cruelty, this is how the don't-fall-behind "game" is played: you walk ahead, and the moment you lose line-of-sight with the laggard, you stop and wait for them to catch up. The moment you can see them again, you start walking again pretending nothing happened. So no, I wouldn't leave my little sister, nor my pokémon, on the train to be whisked back to Saffron alone if she was "too slow".

The reflection on the window is Route 32. The original Johto Map does show the Magnet Train passing above it (albeit over the land portion, not the water portion as seen in Heart Gold/Soul Silver—it was always my personal headcanon that the little mounds that split Route 32 in two were the columns of the magnet train's elevated track, but they couldn't figure out how to make them look nice)

"To many tunnels" is perhaps the only criticism I've ever heard of the Shinkansen system IRL. "Annoyingly fast" is my own review of the Magnet Train in Gold/Silver/Crystal (I'd been expecting another SS Aqua -like area) though I get why they implemented it like they did.

And this segues nicely into why I originally came up with this story back in 2006 (I need to say it at some point, might as well say it here). It was a way to cope with all the little annoyances I had with Fire Red and Leaf Green. There were three main ones:

This was my final hope for being able to trade my Gen II pokémon into Gen III; I thought, for sure, Game Freak would figure it out by this point, and that remaking the original games was just an excuse to introduce the mechanic. (Of course, they didn't.)

How can you take a second shot at remaking the original games and not include even a hint of what happens in the Johto games?! (Granted, HGSS hadn't been confirmed even within the company by that point, but even something as simple as NPCs saying, "They keep saying Lavender Tower is good for a radio antenna; but that'll never happen, I'm sure!" would've sufficed!

How can you design a whole set of islands south of Kanto and not take a single idea from The Orange Islands?!

Pokemon TF drive page 1: Arrival in Vermilion City

Yes, it's now canon! My Raichu girl officially has a nickname and it's Sparkey!

One of my big regrets when I played Pokémon Yellow was leaving this one door on the SS Anne for last. It led to the bow deck of the ship, which was undoubtedly the prettiest-looking area. When I finally went through it, I saw two sailors ready for battle... and I ran. The moment I stepped of the ship, it set sail. I'd wasted my last chance to explore the ship without knowing it ...hence the "almost".

But beating 15 trainers in a row without visiting the Pokémon Center or saving is still pretty impressive, especially to Sparkey who never saw me take on that kind of risk again.

The design for Vermillion City is largely based on the 19th-century-style etching by Hitoshi Ariga (and, of course, the in-game map).

The ship we're on has no right to tower this far over the SS Anne, but it would be a lot harder to recognize the SS Anne if it was at its proper height.

My outfit is Ash's hat and jacket over Brendan (from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire)'s clothes, plus a Johto Pokégear.

No TF-ing on this page because there's no donations yet on this donation drive. If you want to donate, go to PayPal[dot]me/frankhghtwr