#based on from Adventure Time: Obsidian

[aimseytv]

please rant about bubbline, i need a win

the brilliance of bubbline has been vastly misunderstood for years and i’ll explain. people see bubbline as your standard sapphic couple with no real depth, people see the pairing and go ‘gfs’ and move on HOWEVER they are so much more than just girlfriends. they are two immortal beings who for years have been wrapped around the other fingers and have had a relationship based on miscommunication until wrapping that up during the stakes era (varmints s7 is what confirms this but we get into that later)

so the entirety of bubbline is based on miscommunication and you may be wondering: aimsey, how? well that’s because of the fact both of the pair believed the other was in the wrong. but, for us to discuss this, i must explain their relationship in its entirety. we understand how long their relationship has truly been going on for when there is a clip in obsidian distant lands (ODS) where bubblegum catches marcys rock tshirt, both when the pairing are younger or well “a longer time ago” - this shows how long they’ve truly been in each others lives. now, fast forward to the scene we get in ODS where marceline and bubblegum argue over the sense of power, as well as immaturity. we see marceline wanting to just hang with her girlfriend, while in a disruptive manner, meant no harm, and we see bubblegum attempting to focus on work while accidentally shutting marceline down in the process. that quickly escalates into a full blown argument, and quotes like “you’re acting like monster trash” is thrown at marceline which, marcy being an angsty little half demon, didn’t take too lightly in which she responded to the comment with a song that basically says “nvm. you’re not cool. i’m glad i woke up. fuck you and your candy kingdom” and it ends with bubblegum breaking up with marcy. sad right? you haven’t seen anything yet

so now we move on to the tv show. the first we see of the two is the episode ‘go with it’ where marcy is asked to help finn in his adventure to try and ask out the princess. you may be wondering “huh? but if bubblegum is her ex why would she help-“ WRONG! because she doesn’t help! she gives finn completely wrong advice which ends in finn getting thrown out of the candy kingdom. the interaction between the two during this episode is bitter, where we see marceline speak in a high pitched tone and say ‘hello bonnibel’ almost mockingly, in response to bubblegums ‘hey marceline..’ which is incredibly stand offifish. from the get go, we know something happened between them (and with obvious clues now we know the timeline but as a first time viewer, this random episode in s1 can confuse everyone because why do these two characters have beef we don’t know about?)

now, moving onto an important core episode in their timeline which is ‘what was missing’ in season 3. one of the most popular adventure time episodes, and one of the most popular bubbline moments where we see bubblegum and marcy being forced to be together due to finn and jake attempting to take down a “door lord” that includes all of the teams prized possessions. (tldr: little gremlin dude stole jake, finn, bubblegum and marcelines* top favourite and most memorable items.. we will get back to this shortly). anyway, they have to sing a song of truth to get passed and with a failed attempt, marceline tries and lets say she just unleashes all the resentment and anger she’s had towards bubblegum in the form of a song! she says stuff like “i wanna drink the red from your pretty pink face”, “sorry i don’t treat you like a goddess”, and “why should i be the one to make up with you.. so why do i want to?” - indicating she WANTS to. which is probably the first time bubblegum has heard this, because bubblegums reaction is very much just “:O” the entire time. anyway, song goes on, marcy blames bubblegum for her messing up (in reality marcy only messed up because she began saying she wants to bury bubblegum but that isn’t true so the door didn’t accept it. L). anyway, they make up soon enough when finn does his little finn thing and everything is fine.. until bubblegum tries to go against the door lord with a “calculation” which appears to be false and it messes everything up - marcy uses this failure of hers to kinda rub it in her face, watching the princess fail was a positive in marcelines eyes as she was used to seeing bubblegum put work before her so of course she will use any moment of bonnie messing up as a win. she says “looks like you aren’t as perfect as you thought..” which has bonnie respond with “i never said you had to be perfect!” .. OUCHIE!! this leads to them getting upset, finn doing a little sing song which actually opens the door, and them getting their stuff back.. YIPPEE! now, you may be wondering “what was the stuff bubbline had stolen from them?” WELLLL LEMME TELL YOU. bubblegums most prized possession was THE ROCK T-SHIRT that MARCY GAVE HER years ago. marceline blushes as she says “you.. kept the shirt i gave you?” and bubblegum replies “yeah it uh.. means a lot to me” and marcy asks why because bonnie never wears it, to which bonnie replies “i wear it all the time. as panama’s.” .. NOTHING MORE GAY THAN SLEEPING IN YOUR EXES SHIRT THEY GAVE YOU THERE IS NO HETEROSEXUAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS!!!! anyway, marcy didn’t actually *have* an item stolen from her and instead it seems she just wanted to hang out with the team, more importantly wanted to hang out with her pink haired ex girlfriend. good stuff!

anyway, next important interaction i’m highlighting comes from the season 5 episode ‘sky witch’ (there is a lot of smaller key moments but i’m jumping to this one okay moving on) anyway, there is a huge moment at the start of sky witch where bubblegum begins by.. sniffing the shirt marceline gave her.. as she wakes up, to then opening her closet to get ready for the day and we see a polaroid of the pairing IN THE CLOSET… you get my drift? anyway, it slowly moves on to marcy asking PB for help with something (in reality she needs PB to help her recover a teddy bear that was stolen from her that was given to her by her literal father figure during the mushroom war.. so it has a lot of significance. remember that). anyway, PB agrees after the tiniest of convincing and on they go! they go on this adventure, but we will skip to the end where PB magically gets the teddy back.. how? well, we don’t find out until the end of the episode where bubblegum actually traded the rock shirt marcy gave her all those years ago. why did that work you ask? because the sky witch works from the value of items, and not money value, but emotional significance.. SO IT MEANS THE ROCK SHIRT MARCY GAVE HER HAD MORE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT AND SIGNIFICANCE THAN THE LITERAL TEDDY GIVEN TO MARCY DURING A LITERAL WAR FROM HER OWN FATHER FIGURE THAT ABANDONED HER!!!!!! MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

okay okay, need more information? i’ve got you! we will quickly move onto VARMINTS my favourite episode of all time. “why aimsey?” because it gives us all the answers and clues we were waiting for when it comes to PB and marcys relationship. we learn that bonnie was unaware of the reason as to why marcy believed they stopped talking and broke up, we see bonnie apologise for hurting marcy and shutting her out, and we see marceline accept her apology as the pair can finally move on and accept the past. after seven whole seasons we get closure baby! the episode is brilliant in millions of ways, as we see bonnie be vulnerable around marceline regarding her loss of the candy kingdom, we see marcy reconciling with bonnie as they travel through the tunnels the pair used to explore years and years before, and it’s just a very nice episode. we are hit with the infamous quote “bonnibel bubblegum, always so prepared.” to which bonnie replies in a stern tone “yeah, i have to be always so prepared, we can’t all just wing it!” which is almost a dig at marcelines free spirit nature, but not out of malice, out of jealousy. bonnie wishes she had that, and not the huge amount of responsibility she has been burdened with since she was barely old enough to understand what it means to be mature. marcy saying the words “is that why you stopped talking to me?” after hearing bonnie go on a rant about how responsibility is difficult always hits me in my heart because it proves marcy to this day, although being bitter about it, believes the reason bonnie shut her out was because bonnie preferred work over her and that was marcelines biggest fear (as we know from getting shut out from her mother, her father and being abandoned by simon). bonnie going “no?!” because she genuinely just didn’t even think to see that may have been the reason the two fell out; both of the pair believing it was the other that lead to the fallout and bonnie not realising it may have involved her a lot more than she thought and it wasn’t just down to marceline being immature. anyway, episode ends with bonnie apologising, marcy accepts it, and we get a very sweet moment where bonnie is vulnerable and explains she is exhausted and marcy allows her to sleep on her shoulder as she rests. very cute :)

okay now stakes the mini series is a whole new realm for stuff regarding the pairs relationship. the stakes mini series is highlighting marcelines relationship with vampirism, and is a very beautiful series i recommend everyone watches. it begins with marceline burning in the sun, and slowly moves on to her asking bonnie to help her with the procedure of turning her into a human because she no longer wants to be a vampire - huge thing to ask, and bonnie ensures she is sure, and they do the procedure. a moment from this i think about a lot is where bonnie says this while doing the procedure regarding the fact marcy will no longer be immortal: “and when you die, i’ll be the one who puts you in the ground”. i think it’s just a nice quote. anyway, there are so many key moments from stakes but i’ll highlight important ones because it’s 5 episodes jam packed of bubbline but another moment is where they are searching for one of the vampires to hunt (this’ll make more sense if you watch it but TLDR: the procedure also unleashed all the vampires marcy has defeated in her years of growing up). PB and marcy are doing jumping jacks, and marcy is explaining a dream she had where in the dream marcy was all old, but PB was still “nice and pink” - meaning marcy was dreaming of her immortality being taken away, and dreaming about how in her future when she’s old, she’s with PB and she’s grown old with her (aww). bubblegum replies “you think i’m nice?” and it’s a very sweet moment where the pair blush. marcy then explains she has a weird feeling in her stomach, and PB asks if it’s just fear and marcy explains she knows what fear feels like already, and then goes “maybe it’s.. love?” regarding what the feeling is while looking at bubblegum and ITS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT THAT DRIVES ME INSANE BECAUSE HOLY!!!! MOLY!!!!!!!! she was just hungry (lmao) and we move on! another scene is where marceline gets hurt badly, and bonnie is begging for her to wake up as she holds marcys lifeless body in her arms and it’s just a very emotional scene of bonnie begging her to wake up when she thinks marcy is about to die and it’s just very sad and beautiful. i’m gonna quickly move on towards the end of stakes as we have more to cover but during the end, marcy gets turned back into a vampire but explains she has learned a lot and she thanks bubblegum, and says the beautiful quote “thanks for helping me grow up. now i guess we get to hang out together forever” and bonnie blushes in return and it’s just such an AAHHHHH scene!!!!!

now, we are rushing towards the finale (i’m missing some very key moments but i’ve been writing this for an hour straight without stopping i will fill in the blanks later) but basically during the final episode, marcy stops bonnie and begs her not to go to war - bonnie replies she has to, and in this moment you can see marcy more so terrified that this will result in her losing bonnie for the second time due to work and she doesn’t want this. its canon at this point the pair are dating again, and we see them chit chat before moving on as the battle starts. fast forward to bonnie getting really injured, and in result of this marceline loses her literal shit and punts the monster that killed bonnie after believing her girlfriend just got smothered and really badly injured - after this, marcy is out of breath and we see bonnie sit up and whisper ‘marcy?’ in a soft tone and marcy flies over just overjoyed she is okay. marcy says “even when we weren’t talking i was scared something bad would happen to you and i wouldn’t be there to protect you” and it’s such a raw line where it’s just obvious throughout all these years marceline never truly moved on from her. marcy and her giggle and then bubbline share their first on screen kiss that made thousands of gays across the globe pass away!!!

then, we have the beautiful obsidian distant lands that gives us insight into their very healthy relationship as we learn a lot more about the pair, and we just get some beautiful shared moments between them and even them canonically calling each other girlfriends which will never not be engraved in my brain!

this was everything from the top of my head (they will be my number one hyperfixation whether i like it or not until i pass away) but yeah! tldr: miscommunication lead to them not speaking for a very long time when the pair both just wanted to be loved but didn’t know how to balance their own stuff on top of loving the other. the miscommunication lied with bonnie throwing herself into her work instead of giving marceline attention, ultimately losing marcys trust in the process, and where marceline being a free spirit lead to bonnie just not being able to work like that as she “isn’t built like that” (her own quote “people get built different. we don’t need to figure it out, we just gotta accept it”. despite it being about her brother, i like to apply it to her also here). and marceline not giving PB the credit of her being a literal ruler burdened with responsibility. both were too young i’d say, but them growing up together and allowing the other to heal in their own ways lead them to each other again :)

THAT IS THE HISTORY OF BUBBLINE BY AIMSEYTV

[joaniejustwokeup]

Decided to make this prompt it’s own post- originally based off @noir-renard’s tags on this photo post:

I had an idea for where it could go…

Jason uses Bruce’s account to bid on the car.

Danny uses Vlad’s account to bid on it.

They drive up the price ridiculously high.

Danny wants the car to go on a summer road trip/ college tour with Sam and Tucker.

Jason wants to use it to pick up his brothers from work and school to embarrass them. He’s sure he can convince Alfred to let him be the designated chauffeur for a bit.

Danny just barely places the winning bid in time.

When he gets the car he tricks it out with a bunch of anti-theft and especially anti-ghost security measures. No way he’s letting Johnny or Technus or some other random ghost steal it from him, this car is his. He also adds special storage for ectoplasm and ecto-dejecto, since they’ll be on the road for a bit, but also in case there’s an emergency and they need to get out of town fast. And then they’re off on their summer adventure!

They stop in Gotham to check out Gotham University, and because Sam love the aesthetic and Tucker loves Wayne Tech, leaving their car in a lot frequented by tourists.

While he’s out on patrol Jason suddenly sees THE FUCKING CAR!!! Holy shit it must be destiny. Fuck it, Red Hood is stealing a car today because dammit this was supposed to be his janky-ass dead guy car. He’s gonna reclaim his undead honor and this shitty car if it’s the last thing he does. Only one problem. The car immediately zaps him, knocks him out, and soups him with the automatic thermos the second he touches it (what’s this? A halfa Jason Todd au??? Oh dear!).

Danny, Sam, and Tucker return none the wiser, having had a great day touring the city and the university’s campus. But soon they’re back on the road, having a couple more weeks of travel and touring campuses planned. They finally return to Amity Park, and it’s only then that Danny realizes the car had captured some random ghost while they were on the road. At least it looked like the car had fed them from the ectoplasm storage while they travelled, so they should be healed of any souping-related injuries.

Danny decides to release them in his royal keep in the Infinite Realms (AND a ghost king Danny au? wow who would’ve thought), so that he can have Wulf on hand to portal the ghost back to their haunt if they mean no harm, or contain them in the Ghost Zone if they turn out to be violent.

Jason is spewed out of that freaky thermos into a throne room of black marble, surrounded by glowing, translucent beings. Everything has a Lazarus-green glow, and something deep in his chest seems to be humming in recognition, like a tuning fork resonating with an entire orchestra (is that how tuning forks work? Jason doesn’t fucking know).

Above him floats a teenager in a black and white jumpsuit accented with pieces of medieval armor and a cloak lined with swirling stars and nebulae. Atop his snow white hair sits an obsidian crown bathed in green flames, the same bright Lazarus green as the boy’s eyes. He’s holding the thermos almost sheepishly, looking at Jason in shocked amazement.

“Holy fucking shit- I SOUPED RED HOOD??? RED HOOD’S A GHOST?!?!?”

Meanwhile, the Batfamily has been frantically looking for Red Hood for weeks now. No one knows where he’s gone- his tracker showed him traveling from state to state seemingly at random, before stopping and disappearing entirely. His last tracked location was in a small midwestern town called Amity Park.

[slymewizard]

The “Adventure Time is a dnd game” is one of my favorite cartoon theories so heres some of my headcanons about it:

Finn, Jake, and Marceline are the only consistent players, PB is a dmpc, and bmo is also an npc but when Finn and Jake’s players’ little sibling wants to play they pull out his character sheet. Marceline is dating the DM which is why she was the only one to read the entire lore document and use it in her character.

Flame Princess and Huntress Wizard are also PCs played by the same person, who is also Finn’s players’ irl gf. She tried getting into it after her boyfriend convinced her that it would be fun, but didn’t really like it. But they already committed to a plot with FP and Finn being together so they made an agreement that Finn would take a moral nosedive to resolve it. Around a year she decided to try again with a new character that she liked playing much much more.

The game wrapped up when The DM and Marceline’s player had to go off to college. All the players got together for one last session fighting against an ancient evil being named GOLB that the dm pulled from her ass at the last second.

Distant Lands were continuations of the story set in the same universe. BMO was Finn’s player setting up a game for his little sister and one of his friends, Obsidian was a surprise oneshot by Finn and Jake’s players as a gift for Marceline and the DM (who played PB as a pc for this) when they came back from college for the summer. Wizard City was the DM setting up a game for her college friends. And Together Again was a game the DM tried to set up online for Finn and Jake’s players years later. Marceline’s player played the villain for this one.

Because Together Again actually worked out well, the DM decided that maybe they should pick up the game again online, even just for a few sessions, but wasn’t sure what to base it off of. Then one of the players brought up that time they drew their characters genderswapped and the Fionna and Cake campaign. Marceline’s player co-dmed. Huntress Wizard’s player decided to come back but she didn’t want to play the character she made and wanted to focus more on rping and less on combat, because thats what she really liked about the game. So the DM slid Simon’s character sheet across the table and she said “understood.” And she prepared to do the most heartwrenching roleplaying any player had ever seen.

Marceline’s player would also go on during college to start her own campaign with her friends about alien rock women and their little human brother.

Finn’s player starts a much shorter and less well remembered campaign about a team of space faring warriors with a half bug half cat as a pet.

Jake’s player starts a campaign set in the far far future where his favorite recurring npc is a morally challenged robot. (He also played a game before adventure time with the same DM with a pirate theme where he played an angry sea captain with an obsession with candy)

And BMO’s player many many years later would start a campaign about a magical robot girl and her pet alien cat dog thing.

[theemarsrover]

YDYD: Obsidian Screenshots

Today's post is a little bit different from my normal. I've been having intermittent internet issues all week which both impacted my ability to watch everything that happened in the server, as well as posting about it. In light of that, I thought I'd take the time to post a large batch of just screenshots, which show updates to the various bases around, new structures, and of course adventures galore. There were also a few deaths and I'll make a post about those once I get all the details.

Sorry that it's a little different this time around and I hope to be back to my regular reporting for this weekend's sessions!

@monarchisms @thedeaddandy @transandor @whatdoyewant @ndn-craft

@starduststudio @arintheman @lampinnit @bardicjustice @uy8hg

@everythingcanadian @zecoritheweirdone @wyrmswyrds @bizarepistachio

Meet the Crew | Rules | Want even more obsidian?

[nightingaelic]

If you missed the Xbox Summer Showcase + Starfield Direct, here are the highlights:

Fable trailer featuring that awkward guy from The IT Club as a gardening giant

South of Midnight giving bayou blues and beasties

Obsidian's medieval fantasy romp Avowed, which looks like it's borrowing Outer Worlds graphics a bit

Cutesy Fallout 76 video celebrating the player base and hinting at an upcoming in-game journey to Atlantic City (???)

Jusant, a pretty rock climbing sci-fi adventure featuring a cute blob in a backpack

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC official trailer with Escape from New York-style shenanigans, releasing September 26, 2023, possible new ending for V, LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO???!!!???

BioShock-ish time travel steampunk adventure called Clockwork Revolution that features a villainess with the coolest mohawk I've ever seen and ticky-tocky mustachioed killer robots

Star Wars Outlaws, 33 Immortals, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Sea Of Thieves: The Legend Of Monkey Island, Microsoft Flight Simulator X Dune, Payday 3, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Persona 3 Reload, Path of the Goddess, Towerborne, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Cities: Skylines II, Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, and a brand new Xbox in carbon black with the sickest Xbox console edit this side of TikTok

No leather jacket for Todd Howard, smh

An in-depth look at Starfield's gameplay, including character creation, weapons mods, ship mods, planets, space travel mechanics, combat, locations, inspirations, companions, and the one and only Vasco who can say your name (like Codsworth), and a release date of September 6, 2023

Starfield limited edition smartwatch, case, Xbox controller, and headset, coming soon to a tech review channel near you

Still no Elder Scrolls VI news

[adventuretimeconspiracies]

Is Jake dead? Fionna and Cake ep.4

I think that the clear implication that the first four episodes of Fionna & Cake has given us is that yes, by this point in the story, Jake has died.

Our estimation based on Finn's current design is that it's been 15+ years since the finale.

Finn and TV talk about Jake's love for the Fionna and Cake books in the past tense. "He loved that series"

Bearded, depressed Prismo watches video of Finn and Jake, and Prismo tells Fionna and Cake that Ooo is special because it "had [his] favorite guy" (implied Jake)

F&C-era Finn has the Jake chest tattoo that was seen in Obsidian (which has been widely interpreted as an in memoriam gesture). But, importantly: Prismo's flashback at the beginning of F&C ep3 shows Jake and the chest tattoo coexisting simultaneously. So what gives? What do we know?

The circumstances of Jake's death are unknown--just, in Together Again it's confirmed that Jake's death preceded Finn's death, when Finn was an old, old man.

We're going to observe Finn's known designs in an attempt to narrow down at what point in the narrative Jake dies. Between Adventure Time and Obsidian? Between Obsidian and Fionna & Cake? After?

AT finale end credits montage: Finn and Jake welcome ships of humans to Ooo.

Obsidian: bearded but skinny Finn shows up to help out PB. The Jake tattoo is here.

Fionna & Cake flashback: medium beefiness, hair contained

Fionna & Cake modern age: buff boy fullbeard, full-Mertens mane.

And then there's Together Again, death-aged Finn.

With that established, let's return to what very little we know about Jake's death. The first scene of Together Again, features a monster-induced hallucination where Finn loses Jake "again". Curiously, Finn's design in this sequence is his familiar teenaged design from the main series.

So, with teenaged Finn losing Jake "again," should we conclude that Jake died while Finn was teenaged? No. It's a mistake to take Finn's appearance in this sequence at face value. For starters, Finn has both arms here. This is old Finn's nightmare, and in order for him to feel the pain of losing Jake again, it's required that he thinks he's experiencing a time in his life that he and Jake coexisted.

The "Not again" line is preceded by a quick flash to old Finn's actual face and surroundings. Old Finn is the one saying "not again", scrambling to hold onto the dream of hanging out with Jake in his youth. It doesn't mean that Finn was that age when Jake died. His arm is proof this sequence can't be taken at face value. Jake outlived Finn's arm. We know this.

Our next piece of evidence that Jake died before the events of Fionna & Cake is the existence of the Jake tattoo. But, again, Prismo's flashback at the beginning of F&C ep3 shows Jake and the tattoo coexisting.

Soooo........? Is the tattoo not actually a memorial tattoo? I'm pretty sure that events played on Prismo's screen are just straight up supposed to be taken at face value. The scenes are totally divorced from the linear timeline. In ep 4, when Prismo says Ooo is special because it "had" his favorite guy, we see this scene with Jake and teenaged Finn. This is clearly the past.

The evidence would seem to suggest that Jake dies somewhere before Obsidian. Finn got the memorial tattoo. He never appeared again. Everyone talks about him in the past tense.

But there's that one pesky scene on Prismo's screen where he's alive during Finn's 20-somethings, concurrent with the tattoo.

So I will posit a few theories to you:

No body, no death. Jake is alive. He's living in a different universe now and that's why Prismo says Ooo "had" his favorite guy. Now Jake lives in the Crystal Dimension with Lady Rainicorn but can return to Ooo from time to time. Remember: rainicorns are native to the Crystal Dimension. We've even pointed out previously a pretty undisputed fan theory that Crystal Dimension rainicorn pup descendants were featured in Graybles 1000+. It makes sense that Jake would seek a future there. And I don't think it's out of character that Finn would get that tattoo as a sign of devotion to Jake when Jake makes that big decision to set off on his own. Jake will die later.

Jake has become displaced from time and had an unspecified number of adventures in future eras. (i.e. Jake is extracted from the timeline before Obsidian and presumed dead, but then appears sporadically at other times throughout Finn's life, like in the scene shown on Prismo's screen). @uncivilizedelk posted a video analyzing the F&C intro and concludes that time shenanigans are probably incoming.

Theory 3 would be that Jake died via normal means after the scene on Prismo's screen but before the events of Fionna & Cake. And I'm sorry, but I don't buy it.

The whole thing screams red herrings and misdirections. I'd wager Jake appears alive at some point during this series in a large fan-pleaser moment.

Jake's death has been foreshadowed in this series for so long I just cannot imagine they'd let us off easy and have him die offscreen. We'll see it someday. Some way.

[jerusalemstraycat]

Prediction (?) for Fionna and Cake

Please tell me we're going to see this guy in the next episode.

Please tell me that Episode 5 opens with Simon going "I need to become the Ice King again >:| " and Fionna like "...ok sure" and the gang goes to find the Crown from somewhere in the multiverse.

(Fionna is 1. unfamiliar with the world she's in and doesn't know the Ice King lore, 2. still on an adrenaline high from her first big adventures in Ooo and the Time Room, and 3. has been shown to be kinda self-centered and emotionally immature. She is in no place to discourage Simon from becoming Ice King again, and would be totally on board with this plan.)

Please tell me that they recover the Crown, Simon puts it on, and...of course, he doesn't become the Ice King again. The Ice King we know and love became a separate guy from Simon centuries ago, and besides, pre-Ice King Simon is a very different person from post-Ice King Simon. Whatever he becomes now after putting on the Crown will be completely different.

(We know that the effects of the Crown react to the wearer's state of mind. Everyone else seems to be idealizing the past, so maybe Simon has begun to do so as well. He sounded so wistful when he was reminiscing about how he could stop whole armies back in the day. Ice Prince from Fionna's dreams might be a manifestation of that idealization. The form he takes under the influence of the Crown should reflect that...)

So please, please tell me that Simon goes on a power trip after putting on the Crown, as F+C suddenly realize that this may have been a very bad idea. Please give us the dissonance between Simon's euphoria and everyone else's abject terror. I am begging for an over-the-top musical number starring Simon the Ice Twink on the piano. We know Simon plays the piano - he had one in the Ice Kingdom and performed at the open mic in Obsidian. PLEASE.

Edit: based on the descriptions for episodes 5 and 6, they'll probably search for the Crown in 5 and get crazy with it in 6. With a side of fluffy gay coffeeshop AU in a disintegrating world. Fun!

(Foxtel's synopses for Episodes 5 "Destiny" and 6 "The Winter King")

[techtow]

Exploring the Fascinating World of Fallout: From Games to TV Shows, Memes, and Fan Art

Introduction:

Fallout, the beloved post-apocalyptic video game franchise, has captured the imaginations of millions of players worldwide. With its immersive world-building, rich storytelling, and iconic aesthetic, Fallout has become a cultural phenomenon that extends far beyond the realm of gaming. In this article, we'll delve into the various facets of the Fallout universe, including its games, upcoming TV show adaptation, fan creations, memes, and fan art.

Fallout Games:

At the heart of the Fallout franchise are its critically acclaimed video games, which transport players to a retro-futuristic world devastated by nuclear war. From the original Fallout released in 1997 to the latest installment, Fallout 76, each game offers players the opportunity to explore vast open worlds, engage in morally complex quests, and shape the fate of the wasteland.

Fallout TV Show:

Excitement is brewing among fans as a live-action TV series based on the Fallout universe is currently in development. Produced by Amazon Studios and Bethesda Game Studios, the Fallout TV show promises to bring the gritty, post-apocalyptic world of the games to life on the small screen. With a talented creative team and a dedicated fan base, anticipation for the series is at an all-time high.

Fallout Memes:

The Fallout community is known for its creativity and humor, as evidenced by the plethora of memes inspired by the games. From humorous observations about in-game glitches to clever references to iconic characters and moments, Fallout memes have become a beloved form of expression among fans. Whether you're a seasoned wasteland survivor or a newcomer to the franchise, Fallout memes are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Fallout Art:

The Fallout universe has inspired countless artists to create stunning works of art that capture the essence of the wasteland. From breathtaking landscapes to intricate character designs, Fallout fan art showcases the talent and passion of the community. Whether it's digital paintings, traditional sketches, or 3D renders, Fallout art celebrates the iconic imagery and atmosphere of the games in new and exciting ways.

Fallout OC (Original Characters):

One of the joys of being part of the Fallout community is the opportunity to create and share original characters inspired by the games. From lone wanderers wandering the wasteland to charismatic faction leaders vying for power, Fallout OCs allow fans to immerse themselves in the world of the games and tell their own stories. Whether through written stories, artwork, or role-playing, Fallout OCs offer endless possibilities for creative expression.

Fallout New Vegas (FNV):

Among the many entries in the Fallout series, Fallout: New Vegas holds a special place in the hearts of fans. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released in 2010, FNV is praised for its compelling narrative, memorable characters, and deep role-playing mechanics. With its unique setting in the Mojave Wasteland and its branching storyline, FNV remains a favorite among players and continues to inspire fan creations to this day.

Conclusion:

From its immersive video games to its upcoming TV show adaptation, Fallout has captivated audiences with its compelling storytelling, memorable characters, and iconic imagery. Whether you're exploring the wasteland in search of adventure, sharing laughs through memes, or expressing your creativity through fan art and original characters, the Fallout community offers something for everyone. As we eagerly await the future of the franchise, one thing is certain: the legacy of Fallout will continue to endure for years to come.

[put3rb0y]

Adventure Time episodes necessary for understanding Fionna and Cake

I've had some people ask me if they need to watch Adventure Time to watch Fionna and Cake, so I decided to make a list of episodes I find vital to watching before watching Fionna and Cake! I would recommend just watching the whole series, but I also get not everyone wants to.

Please keep in mind that these are not all of the lore-important Adventure Time episodes, only the ones relevant to the new Fionna and Cake spinoff up to episode 6 (the latest episode out at the time of me making this.) I will update it with suggestions or if I need to add more episodes as new Fionna and Cake ones come out.

This list may have vague Adventure Time spoilers. Read at own risk.

Without further ado, list below the cut!

Part 1: Essential Episodes

You should watch these to fully understand Fionna and Cake. Without them, you will be lost at some point.

S3E9 “Fionna and Cake” - First instance of the concept of Fionna and Cake

S3E20 “Holly Jolly Secrets Part 2” - Simon backstory information

S4E25 “I Remember You” - Simon and Marceline backstory information

S4E26 “The Lich” - Set-up for next episode (multi-part arc)

S5E1 “Finn the Human” - Prismo introductory episode, context on multiverse

S5E2 “Jake the Dog” - Context on multiverse

S5E11 “Bad Little Boy” - Fionna and Cake-based episode

S5E14 “Simon & Marcy” - Simon and Marceline backstory information

S5E48 “Betty” - Betty and Simon backstory information

S6E1 “Wake Up” - Important Prismo context

S6E9 “The Prince Who Wanted Everything” - Fionna and Cake-based episode

S6E19 “Is That You?” - Important Prismo context

S6E24 “Evergreen” - Important Ice King context

S6E38 “You Forgot Your Floaties” - Important Betty episode

S7E7 “Everything Stays” - Simon and Marceline backstory information

S7E21 “King’s Ransom” - Important Ice King and Betty episode

S7E23 “Crossover” - Important Prismo/multiverse context

S8E1 “Broke His Crown” - Important Ice King/Simon episode

S8E8 “Elemental” - Important lore information, set-up for later miniseries

S8E9 “Five Short Tables” - Fionna and Cake-based episode

S8E12 “Preboot” - Important context on humans in the Adventure Time universe (watch follow-ups if invested)

S8E19 “Jelly Beans Have Power” - Important lore information, sets up next miniseries

Islands Miniseries (S8E20-27) - Vital information on humans in the Adventure Time Universe

Elements Miniseries (S9E1-9) - Important worldbuilding and Ice King/Betty context

S9E12 “Fionna and Cake and Fionna” - Fionna and Cake-based episode

S10E4 “Bonnibel Bubblegum” - Needed to understand finale

S10E11 “Temple of Mars” - Important Betty episode

S10E12 “Gumbaldia” - Needed to understand finale

S10 Finale “Come Along With Me” - Entirely necessary plot and lorewise

Distant Lands (spinoff series) “Obsidian” - Important Simon, Marceline, and Bubblegum information

Part 2: Recommended Episodes

I would recommend these as they will provide extra context for Fionna and Cake, but you shouldn’t get lost without them.

S1E12 “Evicted!” - Marceline’s introductory episode, as she is very important in Simon’s story.

S1E2 "Trouble in Lumpy Space" - Introduces LPS who is decently important in Fionna and Cake

S1E3 “Prisoners of Love” - The Ice King’s introductory episode, and a pretty good example of how he acts prior to character development.

S1E20 “Freak City” - Introduces Magic Man, who becomes important in Betty’s story

S2E1 “It Came From the Nightosphere” - Important context on Marceline/Marshall’s relationship with one of their parents (becomes relevant)

S2E18 “Susan Strong” - Susan is later a part of essential episodes

S3E10 “What Was Missing” - Important for Bubblegum and Marceline’s relationship/development

S3E19 “Holly Jolly Secrets Part 1” - Helps with understanding Part 2, also provides a pretty good example of what the Ice King is like pre-character development, but not exactly necessary

S4E5 “Return to the Nightosphere” - Helpful Marceline context

S4E6 “Daddy’s Little Monster” - Helpful Marceline context

S4E24 “Reign of Gunters” - Introduces Wizard City, may make later episodes easier to understand

S5E4 “Up a Tree” - Character from this plays a decently major role in an episode of Fionna and Cake, but background context isn’t all too necessary

S5E6 “Jake the Dad” - At least one of Jake’s kids is in Fionna and Cake, so it may be helpful to see them

S5E26 “Wizards Only, Fools” - Additional Wizard City information

S6E2 “Escape from the Citadel” - Follows S6E1 directly and helps provide context on Finn as seen in Fionna and Cake

S6E30 “The Diary” - Context on TV, who appears to have a decently important role in Fionna and Cake

Stakes Miniseries (S7E6-13) - Important Marceline lore

S8E2 “Don’t Look” - May give some context on Ice King/Simon

S8E4 “Lady Rainicorn of the Crystal Dimension” - Context on TV, who appears to have a decently important role in Fionna and Cake

S8E7 “Normal Man” - May help with context on Betty

Distant Lands (spinoff series) "Wizard City" - More context on what happens to a character present in Fionna and Cake

Note: Without watching the full series (and Distant Lands spinoff), there are still some references or minor characters you’ll miss or not know anything about when they are mentioned/shown. However, following this guide, I believe you should still be able to understand and enjoy Fionna and Cake!

[rollinouttahere-writes]

https://www.tumblr.com/rollinouttahere-writes/765918903073456128/hi-for-the-halloween-event-can-i-please-request

Based on this drabble you did for Halloween, what if in an au. nami and reader were together but to make it angsty they fought and break up. I feel like it would be similar to marceline and pb in adventure time: obsidian where they broke up in the past with Marceline making a whole song calling out pb (watch it on YouTube!)

But yea (this could be a stand alone or a hidden scene from the Halloween drabble) where reader just calls her a "dictator" and "self obsessed" out of anger and frustration, which put the final nail in the coffin😭

It's honestly very easy to read them as being exes. There have been points while writing it where I look at them and think 'yeah these two are definitely bitter, angsty exes'

That, or they were mutually pining for each other but never acted on it because of the time this takes place.

There's an exchange in part two where Nami states that they're going to prom together, but she doesn't explicitly say as friends so like y'all are free to view their relationship as romantic (albeit complicated). The requester specifying that they wanted this to be platonic was honestly the only thing holding me back from making them romantically involved lol

[blaurascon]

Took me way longer than I planned to put this together because I kept tweaking stuff but! please enjoy Hrravak, my tav that's absolutely taken over my head for weeks now

Cheers to @arcandoria for the base this was super fun to fill out!!

More about Hrravak & image credits below the cut

Hrravak started out as an adaptation of my Elder Scrolls character Harrava but she took on an entire life of her own and it's been a blast! I haven't put this much thought and effort into a character for going on 20 years - I've got an obsidian thing going for her and everything to keep her lore tidy. I'm more of a technical writer than a fiction/prose writer (her obsidian page is formatted like a wiki because that's what I'm most comfortable with) but I might give fiction a shot sometime - write proper fics about her history. Doing all this with her has given me a joy I haven't known in a very long time and I'm so thankful.

A brief history, up to the start of the game:

Hrravak was orphaned at a very young age by a plague. She was rescued by Priests of Ilmater from Baldur's Gate, who tended to her while she was critically ill. Once she was more stable, she was adopted by the retired adventurer, abjuration wizard, and apothecary Orn, a tiefling (who I have to write more about sometime).

At this point, Hrravak was a preteen who'd lost everything she'd known up to that point, got taken to a strange place by strange people she'd never seen the likes of before who speak strange languages she had never heard prior. She was, understandably, not very happy about the situation. Add onto that her budding Sorcerer power, and Orn had his hands full.

I don't have many specifics between this point and the beginning of the game, but the gist of it is Orn trying to find acceptable, healthy outlets for Hrravak's pain and growing power. He helped teach her to fight with words instead of fists (or fireballs), hence her skills with deception and persuasion.

After the abduction and subsequent tadpoling, Hrravak is terrified of course, but also embracing being away from Orn for once - she can finally stretch her legs and figure out on her own what she's capable of. The powers the tadpole offers are also very tempting...

I don't want to make this post 438 miles long though so I'll end her history here, if you want to know more I think my asks are open, I am happy to talk about my blorbo lol

The sheet is reflective of her stats where I currently am in the game, mid Act 1. I've gotten further with her before, but my save file absoluely thrashed itself *somehow* so this is a re-start lol. I fiddled with her stats a bit this time - she was default 8 str before, but I shimmied some points around to give her 10 - she'd have had to work hard to get to the equivalent of 10 given the side effects of recovering from plague, but it fits her better than 8, I think.

I really dig the idea of Dragonsoul Heirs (from 4e I think?) so I'm pulling some of those concepts for her, mostly that as she develops her draconic powers, she changes - hence her silvering scales, those developed over time, and after a molt, her scales are entirely black until the top layer is worn down.

Her alignment being Chaotic Neutral (Good) draws on the idea of Alignment Tendencies - specifically the "not quite neutral" flavor; she is Chaotic Neutral but has a tendency to favor Good actions.

My brain's starting to fizz out so I think this is a good end point for this long heckin post ahhah

Anyway, image credits:

https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-wooden-rack-with-brown-and-black-feather-J2_nIEkIpRM

https://unsplash.com/photos/closeup-photography-of-glass-ball--i4C0vCugS8

https://unsplash.com/photos/clear-glass-bottles-in-brown-wooden-box-oduOp0RlPf8

https://unsplash.com/photos/gray-floral-metal-jewelry-box-A9sGR4Fo72k

https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-black-leaf-plant-mHwdBObbgXs

https://unsplash.com/photos/clear-wine-glass-and-glass-bottle-8lC8lOyF2Ws

[an-aussie-button-masher]

A New Direction - Five Games that Broke Their Series' Mould

   It’s time to switch things up a little! When a game series runs long enough, it’s only a matter of time before the developers try taking it into a new direction to shake things up. It can be as major a change as shifting genre entirely, to more minor changes like moving away from established mechanics or aesthetics. Maybe the fans had grown tired of the status quo and demanded something fresh, or perhaps the new entry is handled by a completely different development team. Sometimes the changes are well-received and stick around for the rest of the series going forward, or it turns out to be a bad move and the developers just return to their usual style. Take a look at these five games that tried something new for their series, and see for yourself whether or not it ever works out - enjoy!

Tales from the Borderlands    So, you want to hear another story in the Borderlands universe? How about one that’s focused more on the actual story? The main Borderlands games are all first-person looter-shooters where the plot is generally just an excuse to move from one place to the next and shoot everyone there, but the spinoff Tales from the Borderlands is instead a narrative-based choose-your-own-adventure story in standard Telltale Games style. Instead of a badass bullet-spewing bandit-exploding one-person-army Vault Hunter, you play as an anxious middle-manager named Rhys and a somewhat overconfident scam-artist named Fiona, dragged together by a rapidly-escalating con that lands them in trouble with ruthless gangsters and on the path to a mysterious alien Vault. The game didn’t draw quite as much of an audience as the mainline Borderlands games, but those that did play it tend to laud it as the series’ best writing, and the events of the story is still strongly felt in future games with several characters returning for later instalments.

Fallout: New Vegas   War…war never changes. Except when it does, like it did in Fallout: New Vegas. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment - the creators of the first two top-down Fallout games before Bethesda took over for Fallout 3 - New Vegas naturally returns to the west coast setting of the original games, wrapping up a lot of the plot threads and arcs in that side of the wasteland. While it continues the first-person shooter style of Fallout 3, it also features a greater focus on RPG-like elements, including a distinct set of playstyle-defining unlockable perks, a karma meter and faction reputation system that affect the plot and behaviour of most characters, and a much wider variety of story paths that can be taken by the player. In the irradiated desert of post-apocalyptic Nevada, a lone Courier finds themselves dragged into a war for control of the shining New Vegas and treacherous Mojave Desert between violent gangs, struggling militaries and vicious cults - play your cards right, and you can single-handedly determine the future of the entire region. Despite being a bit of a buggy mess, the games’ open-ended nature and compelling narrative keeps it generally considered as one of the best RPGs ever made!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder    Even experimenting around in the same genre can lead to something new. For the longest time, the Super Mario Bros. 2-D platformer games were stuck in the same old aesthetics, the same old mechanics, the same old level structures, and the same old enemies for over seventeen years in an era ironically referred to as the “New” style, and fans were growing weary. Enter Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and suddenly Nintendo was willing to mess around with things! A new aesthetic with a gorgeous artstyle and snazzy animations, new mechanics and abilities, new playable characters, new music, a new Kingdom, even new voice actors - Wonder was a welcome breath of fresh air for this corner of the franchise. As Mario and co. explore the colourful Flower Kingdom in pursuit of Bowser, the levels constantly introduce new ideas and gameplay elements to keep things interesting, and fans absolutely loved it, with many hoping it leads to further experimentation from Nintendo with its flagship series.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One    Taking a renowned singleplayer series and hopping over to co-operative play, All 4 One remixes the usual run-and-gun platforming action of Ratchet & Clank into a multiplayer team experience. Up to four players together can control the headstrong Ratchet, the calculating Clank, the egotistical Captain Qwark and the villainous Dr. Nefarious as they (reluctantly) work together to escape the mysterious and treacherous planet they’re all stranded on. The game features a fixed camera angle and more linear levels, each loaded with obstacles and enemies that must be dealt with as a team, and a heavier focus on puzzles that require working together as a unit to overcome. Better hope you and your friends have good communication skills. Released in-between the more popular eras of the series in a time when some of the games were a bit more experimental and divisive, All 4 One wasn’t especially successful but the dozen or so people that actually played it enjoyed a decently fun party game. Fortunately, the series returned to its roots shortly afterwards, but All 4 One remains an okay entry to play with friends.

Doom³     Trading slaying for scaring, Doom³ took the high-octane demon-blasting action of the classic DOOM games and twisted it into survival horror. A reboot of sorts for the previous games instead of a direct continuation, Doom³’s plot remains fairly similar - mad scientists on a Mars base open a portal to Hell, demons invade and trash the place, and it’s up to one lone gun-toting marine to rip and tear through every demon in his way. However, there’s not so much ripping and tearing this time around; with slightly slower-paced action and a darker atmosphere, the games takes on a spookier survival theme with limited ammo, occasional jumpscares and a story taken much more seriously with little of the dark humour found in the previous games. While some fans considered the survival horror retooling to be the wrong move, slowing the gameplay down, Doom³ still managed to outperform the previous entries and brought DOOM once again to the forefront of gaming. That said, the modern DOOM games returned to the classic run-and-gun gameplay with very few of Doom³’s elements present, making the genre shift all the more distinct.

   Don’t be afraid to try something new every once in a while! Even if it doesn’t work out, at least you now know what not to do. How did you feel about these games taking a step away from their series’ formulas? Got any other games that could fit this list? Let me know! Feedback, reblogs and likes are all much appreciated!

   Thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

[virtualweakness]

My adventure time ocs Eva and Cecil. Eva is 23 years old and Cecil is 24. They both use she/her pronouns.

Eva and Cecil are best friends, but Cecil secretly has feelings for Eva. Eva has always been very curious about the human world and the kingdoms of Ooo, similar to “The little mermaid”. She and Cecil have been friends since they were about 18, and Cecil has the ability to turn mermaids human as well as herself. Cecil hates humans, but willingly turns herself and Eva into humans from time to time when Eva isn’t busy with her Royal duties and they sneak off to the surface. They meet Finn, Bubblegum, Simon and Marceline shortly after obsidian but before Fiona and cake takes place. Unlike Ursula, despite her not understanding Eva’s fascination with Ooo, she doesn’t ever take Eva’s voice in exchange for spells. She just does it for free because she simps for Eva. Finn and Simon don’t know that Eva and Cecil are mermaids, but Marcy and bubblegum do. They asked Marceline and Bubblegum not to tell Finn as he was afraid of the ocean and Eva is afraid he wouldn’t want to hang out anymore. Simon doesn’t know simply because it hasn’t become relevant for him to know.

I’ll draw human and Fiona and cake versions soon.

In Fiona’s universe, Eva is named Evan and is a human lifeguard at the community pool. Cecil is still named Cecil in genderbend, as it is an androgynous name and also works at the pool, but hands out floaties, pool noodles, potato chips and sodas at the concession stand.

Mermaid princess is based on a design I adopted from evilbunny23 on TikTok.

Cecil is from a DA adopt I got from JonBenett-Hopeless

[chronotopes]

PERSONAL WRITING WRAPPED 2023

Getting this done significantly earlier than I got it done last year, which I think may in itself be an indication of being in "a better mental place."

Let's get to it.

CREATIVE NONFICTION, NEW FIRST DRAFTS:

"Catalogue of Thoughts, With Rebukes," January. CLASSIC katia journal entry turned essay format, which is "conversation between versions of myself." Artistic enough suffering that it totally counts as a cnf essay.

"I Can't Remember..." (titled in real life "my homework from brenda and julie"), January. Essay Written For Practice, specifically inspired by the prompt "Write an essay where every sentence starts with 'I can't remember.' Cathartic and has some bits of very pretty prose. Maybe I don't agree with the overall conclusions it draws, but I sure like it as a piece of writing.

"As the sun sets over [my local river], I consider Joan of Arc," January. broooo why were my early-in-the-year cnf titles so pretentious. Lyric essay meets prose poem but I'm choosing to classify it as a lyric essay. First draft dictated into my voice memos, mad scribe style. Man i used to love voice memos.

"Elegy for a life I can't live," April. Boooo emo bullshit booo but once again cathartic and perhaps more clear-sighted about things than the previous work. Anaphora got me through a lot in the first half of this year.

"I don't understand music," April. Finally, creative nonfiction that isn't about depressing shit! About a) piano and b) love, obviously. Needs a lot of editing but I am fond of her.

"Orthodox," July. Old poem about national identity and religion that I reformulated into a very unpolished essay.

"Two gay preteens and a lake monster," July. Another old poem, reformulated into a flash essay this time. Polished it enough to submit to a call for flash essay submissions and then never did.

"Nikolayevna," July. ALSO an old poem reformulated into a flash essay. This is my favorite trick and I will do it to all of my mid-but-promising poetry one day. This one's about ~generational cycles!~

"My dead boss and my dead friend," July. New addition to my senior spring flash essay series from last year.

"A spoiler, displaced in time," July. Another new addition to the senior spring flash essay, in an effort to make it more rounded with context I did not then have.

"[personal bullshit relevant situation], or 'The Kids from Yesterday.'" The Senior Spring Essays in their totality cannot ever seen the light of day for many reasons and one of them is that the ending rests partly on an MCR-based metaphor. Which is very silly.

"Justifications," October. Oh lord back to For Processing Purposes Only creative nonfiction. That's cool I guess. Mad about how good the prose in these quasi-journal entries is and the degree to which i did not write enough of them this year.

12 pieces in total.

CREATIVE NONFICTION, NEW DRAFTS OF OLD STUFF AND UNFINISHED BUT PROMISING NEW STUFF.

"Catalogue of Kitchenware," February-August. What it sounds like.

"Obsidian Greythorne's Depression Cannot Be Cured By Finding A New, Alive Girlfriend" and "Fornax And Annue Cannot Ever Have Sex For Reasons I Just Made Up," March-June. Two entries in an envisioned series of essays exploring adolescent sexuality/identity/experience through old fictionwriting adventures.

"Catalogue of Berries," July. Eastern Europe posting.

"On Taking the Waters," July. I said "Oh, I know what's missing from this old essay about being very sad in bath!" and stuck my friend who died in there. Classic essay trick.

"A Grand Palatial House of the Old South," July. Heterosexual roommate angst processing essay, refined.

"On being old enough to talk about the war," July. Flash essay (really edging out of flash essay territory, it got long) from last year about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, completely rewritten.

"A Hill in the [local civil war history location]," July. Also a flash essay from the senior spring essays, rewritten enough to count as a newish thing.

"A Car Is Like A Little House," August. Suburbia, weather, immigration, the interstate highway system, all the usual suspects in my writing.

Nine pieces in total.

POETRY:

"Myopia in seventh-grade notebooks," January. "It is january 2023, and one year ago I should have known better. / And unlike all of the other times I ruined my life, that time, it was for forever." Less Vent Poetry and more unified concept worth working from. About reading notes to myself in old diaries.

"Novice time traveler," February. Jesus christ reading through these is killing me. This one shares a lot of ideas with dialogues but is less good lol.

"3/23/2022," February. A sestina I wrote for Gabe on the occasion of our first anniversary, and certainly a sestina I like a lot more than the first sestina I wrote. Not groundbreaking stuff but I like it anyway. I would have to take a Real Poetry Class to get properly good at poetry, I think. For those curious: my words were moon, dare, blossom, spring, test, and time.

I would write Gabe little poems every day for the last few months of being longish-distance. Not all of them were good, and I cannot count them to save my life, but among them were "Sonnet for a job application," "Sonnet for an orchestra concert," "February Villanelle," "Sonnet for warmth," "Sonnet for Spring," "For Dusk," "For the sinking sun." Some of them will be something one day. Others had value in their ephemeral Baby Poem status.

Ten completed pieces in total, a whole lot more little stuff than that.

FICTION:

52 or so thousand words of what was once titled Adventures of the Extranei and is now titled fucking, like, Untitled Quartz the Novel Project, June-November. What started out as last year's fascination with an old, sprawling, deeply flawed novel turned into a perhaps-ill-advised attempt to rename (almost) all the characters and rewrite it to be coherent. Currently, it exists in the form of a 100-page outline and one nanowrimo's worth of novel (three parts out of like twelve complete). I'll go back to it after I finish Aivide, if only because of Sunk Cock Theory.

A rewritten prologue to what was once titled Adventures of the Extranei: The Next Generation and is now titled Dude If You Rewrite All Of Nextgen Too You're Going To Have To Start Asking For Money For It Because Seriously We're Talking 500k+ words of story here. What can I say, sometimes the grip of "I could do this BETTER" overtakes you.

Three edited existing chapters and one brand new revised chapter of AIVIDE THE PREQUEL, August-December. READ IT HERE, unless you haven't read Vinbre the Novel yet, in which case read Vinbre the Novel first. Very proud of the ways I've sneakily grown as a writer since first drafting the last three chapters, very glad for the opportunity to write it as I see it now and share it with the world.

About 85,000 words in total if you only count the completely new chapter of Aivide, somewhere around 100,000 if you count stuff I added to the old ones. I could probably be more accurate about it if I wasn't writing this at 2 AM on new year's eve. (Afternoon after edit: About 37,000 new words of Aivide + 51,980 words of Quartz + 10,007 words of nextgen bullshit = just about 98,000 words of fiction. yippee!!)

Overall, 26 completed(ish) pieces in total, counting the venty drafts and the revisions, which constituted a lot of what I wrote this year.

SUPERLATIVES:

Most Economical: "Two Gay Preteens and a Lake Monster," "My Dead Boss and My Dead Friend"

Most Romantic: "I don't understand music"

Greatest Potential: "A car is like a little house," "Orthodox"

Best Emerging Genre: Essay collections

Biggest Comeback: Fiction

Most Likely To Succeed: "Catalogue of Berries," "On Taking the Waters," "Orthodox," "A Car is like a little house"

The One You Should Read: Aivide the Prequel

Worst Girls of the Year: Quartz Greythorne and Aivide Thieri

[theemarsrover]

Time for another YDYD:O summary! As always, details and screenshots will be under the cut <3

This session started out with my name going purple, aka, the beginning of the end.

I’m not the only one that ended up with a purple name this session. @arintheman took fall damage from a ravine near the shole and is now on his last life making him an Obsidian player. Who knows what this means for the group going forward?

@monarchisms, on a daring mission to light up the surrounding area and explore it, died by a creeper. This drops them down to 2 lives, meaning one is left before they become Obsidian...

Buuut they got the It Spreads advancement and quickly regained their life back. In the process creating a new monument on the base. The Skole (skulker hole).

@lampozzz​ at the beginning of the server was peacefully adding structures near the shole. When he entered the nether in search for netherite, he accidentally clicked too close to the bed and, well, you know. After a few attempts at trying to hit a target, he also got the It Spreads advancement and regained his life.

@thedeaddandy visited the nether, @transandor made a chicken friend, @bizarepistachio was surrounded by phantoms and offered to donate to the cause toward Erlande’s arrow plights, also eating poison? As always everyone was doing the usual resource gathering and adventuring. There was an odd enderman sighting and a zombie with an egg?

Also, Jeb got a girlfriend:

Here’s a collection of my favorite shots from tonight :)

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Dancing in the Dark

Written By: Bruce Springsteen

Artist: Bruce Springsteen

Released: 1984

The first single off of Springsteen’s seminal album Born In The U.S.A., this track was written two years after most of the other songs on the album. Producer Jon Landau thought the new album lacked a guaranteed hit and pushed Springsteen to draft one more song. The two men got into a brief altercation, after which Bruce wrote “Dancing in the Dark” about his ‘difficulty writing a hit single and his frustration trying to write songs that will please people’. Its music video contains an early appearance by actress Courtney Cox. It also helped introduce Springsteen to a younger audience, setting the stage for a seven-single run of top 10 hits from the album. “Dancing In The Dark” became Springsteen’s highest charting single the Boss has ever had, spending four weeks in the #2 position of the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1984, held from the top spot by Duran Duran “The Reflex” and Prince “When Doves Cry”. It also spent six weeks at #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. This single is also Springsteen’s only to be certified platinum.

[Verse 1] I get up in the evening And I ain't got nothing to say I come home in the morning I go to bed feeling the same way I ain't nothing but tired Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself Hey there, baby I could use just a little help [Chorus] You can't start a fire You can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark [Verse 2] Messages keep getting clearer Radio's on, and I'm moving 'round my place I check my look in the mirror I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face Man, I ain't getting nowhere I'm just living in a dump like this There's something happening somewhere Baby, I just know that there is [Chorus] You can't start a fire You can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark [Bridge] You sit around getting older There's a joke here somewhere, and it's on me I'll shake this world off my shoulders Come on, baby, the laugh's on me [Verse 3] Stay on the streets of this town And they'll be carving you up all right They say, "You gotta stay hungry" Hey, baby, I'm just about starving tonight I'm dying for some action I'm sick of sitting around here trying to write this book I need a love reaction Come on now, baby, give me just one look [Chorus] You can't start a fire Sitting 'round crying over a broken heart This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark You can't start a fire Worrying about your little world falling apart This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark [Outro] Even if we're just dancing in the dark Even if we're just dancing in the dark Even if we're just dancing in the dark Hey, baby [Outro Saxophone Solo]

Monster

Written By: Half Shy

Artist: Olivia Olson & Half Shy for Adventure Time (alternate version by King Princess)

Released: 2020

Cover included: King Princess, 2020

“Monster” is a song from the second episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, “Obsidian”. This love song was composed by Marceline while living with Bubblegum and sung to her while they were stuck in a cave in the Glass Kingdom.

[Verse] I know we'll never grow old together 'Cause you'll never grow old to me You're the pink in my cheeks And I'm scared 'cause that means I'm a little bit soft [Pre-Chorus] But don't beat yourself up, Bonnie It wasn't just the sun that I was hiding from We were messed up kids who taught ourselves how to live And I'm still scared that I'm not good enough [Chorus] I've always felt like a monster Long before I was bit But only seen as a monster Let's just say I'm used to it And I grew tough 'cause love, it only hurt me back But loving you's a good problеm to have And I'm used to that, but I could get usеd to this Yeah, I'm used to that, but I could get used to this [Outro] And I know we'll never grow old together 'Cause you'll never grow old to me You're the pink in my cheeks And I love that it means I'm a little bit soft You're the pink in my cheeks And I love that it means I'm a little bit soft