#been to too many things in a short timespan

[m-e-w-666]

i’m so tired i feel like no one around me wants to talk about palestine and i’m tired of trying to make people care, i’m a bit tired in general so i think i need a week or so of break

[brooooswriting]

Would/could you maybe write a sam carpenter x fem!reader comfort fic/imagine with her comforting reader after a breakdown which leads to r crying but in Sam's arms? Just something I'm craving rn, thanks 💜

I need you

Sam Carpenter x reader

Some days life seems like a piece of cake, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. But that doesn’t happen to broke college students who still have to hustle to get their degree. You had too many things to do and nearly not enough time, money was short and your parents were on you like hawks. They cut the money because they thought that you’d need to learn how to live yourself and while that wasn’t really a problem to you, they thought it was.

You were staying with Tara for the time being as your parents kicked you out of your apartment for a certain timespan and you didn’t have the time nor the money to get a new one. T was nice enough to let you stay and Sam and Quinn were fine with it too.

You and sam liked to keep your relationship on the low, it wasn’t quite a relationship but it also wasn’t just a fuck. It was something and you didn’t wanna label it because you were scared that it’d ruin it. So, you never talked to anyone about it, not even Anika even though she was your best friend.

It was late at night, around 2 a.m. when you sat in the kitchen, trying to write an essay for your English class when sam came home. You’d been working from 3 p.m to 1 a.m as your coworker got I’ll and as soon as you got home you sat down and started to work. You were dehydrated and haven’t really eaten since 2 p.m. You were moody, sad and you weren’t getting anywhere with this stupid essay. After just starring at the screen for around 20 minutes your eyes started to fill with tears and your breathing got heavy. There was no focusing anymore, you were blowing your nose again and again while you tried to wipe away the tears with the sleeve of your long sleeve shirt.

Sam walked in on you sitting at the kitchen table. Your back was turned to her, so she couldn’t see your face. “Hey, you’re still awake” she whispered as she walked up behind you, her arms wrapping around your shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. You mumbled a yeah as you tried to keep your voice as steady as possible. But it was no use, Sam was great at observing and your shaky voice was easy to notice. “What’s wrong honey?” Her voice was unbelievably soft which made you break.

You started to cry out loudly, hiccups following and your shoulders shaking. The older woman’s heart broke for you, she noticed that you had been down lately but she didn’t know that it was that bad. Her hand reached down to grab yours and pull you over to the couch where you carefully sat on her lap, one leg on each side of her hip. Your face was squished into her neck, your sobs silenced while her arms squeezed your waist and pulled you closer. Sweet kisses were placed on your neck and head along with reassuring words, in hopes that they’d calm you down.

“I’m sorry” you hiccuped out, slightly laughing about how much of a mess you were. You hoped that it’d make the situation less awkward and uncomfortable but it didn’t really. “Don’t apologize baby, wanna tell me what’s wrong?” She asked as her hand rubbed up and down your back. The moment was too sweet to be just between friends.

“I’m just, I-I, it’s too much. I’m failing basically every goddamn thing, I’m not making enough money and my parents are watching me like hawks just waiting for me to fail and if it keeps going like this then they won’t have to wait even longer” you cried out, your head falling back into the crook of sams neck. Your tears were staining her neck but she couldn’t care less.

“Don’t say stuff like that! You’re doing great baby” she said and started to stand up. Your legs wrapped tighter around her waist while her hands supported you. “You’re working all alone, you’re doing your best in college. I am so proud of you” she kept mumbling as she sat you down on her bed. She let go of you for a second to get you one of her hoodies and her boxers, it wasn’t the first time you were in her bed but it was the first time it felt this intimate.

“Thank you but we both know that my parents don’t think the same. They are going to hate me if I fail” you kept crying, burying yourself in her hoodie and turning your back to her with your legs pulled up to your chest.

Sam didn’t say anything, you heard how she changed her cloths and then heard her move to the other side of the bed. She’s never really been someone for cuddling, it just wasn’t hers or at least it wasn’t with you. But this night she laid down behind you, tightly pressed into your back with her arms wrapped around your waist. Her face was pressed into the crook of your neck where she placed soft kisses up and down. It was unbelievably comforting.

“Sleep a bit for me Love, well take about everything else tomorrow alright?” She mumbled into your neck and pulled you closer, watching how your eyes close before her own closed too.

The next morning you woke up still in sams arms. She was already awake when your eyes opened, her hand stroked up and down your side. “Good morning, are you alright?” She asked, her voice immediately comforting you. You gave her a small nod and turned in her arms, cuddling into her chest. You weren’t sure what was happening at the moment but decided to take advantage of any comfort you could get.

“You know, I meant what I said yesterday” she started, her fingers combing thru your hair, “I am proud of you and I think you’re doing awesome. Just let your parents talk, but if they’re rude to you, come to me alright? I’ll protect you. After all you’re kinda my girlfriend right?” She sounded unsure and insecure at the end which made you coo.

“I’d love nothing more that being your girlfriend” you answered, leaning your head up to press a quick kiss to her lips. By all means it wasn’t your first kiss, but the way you kissed was new. It was filled with love and care, it made you feel like everything was going to be alright again. And as long as Sam was by your side, everything was going to be fine.

[davycoquette]

Questionnaire~

Thank you for the tag, @drchenquill!

1. Is writing a hobby or way of life?

I always call it a hobby, but almost always prefixed with some form of, "greatest," "most important," or "favorite." I think way of life fits a helluva lot better. I've been writing since I can remember.

2. A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

The journal one. I have like 900 I'm actively writing in at this very moment.

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

Cormac McCarthy. The love I have for my shitty characters. The agonizing unignorable need to put words on paper or screen.

4.Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

The singing one. I am not ashamed of my writing, but I have been taught to be ashamed of my singing lmfao. Which is weird and dumb because singing isn't something I go around telling people I can do decently - I don't tell people, "Oh, I sing," or, "I'm a singer." So, I have nothing to prove on that front, yet... I don't think I could make a peep of noise if someone said, "Sing me a song." Meanwhile, even when my writing's not at it's best, I'm like, "Yeah, I'm a writer. Here's some shit I wrote that isn't good. Sometimes I write good stuff, though."

5. Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

I mean... in the literal sense, sure. A story looks different from the eyes of a character. By the same token, it helps me "understand" when people make choices I've not personally made. I think, for this reason, it's important to write about characters with different belief systems than we have - to write about them as sympathetic people with complex emotions. Not just to villainize or cathartically punish them, but to explore why people do the things they do and what life events might drive them in that direction. But cathartic character murder has its time and place, and who am I suggest what others write? Y'all do y'all.

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

I have not used LiveJournal since I was a teen - is it still a thing people use??? That sounds nostalgic and fun. Not sure what FFN is; something to do with fanfiction? I only write original fiction, so that rules it out if so. AO3 is very cool, but the interface isn't my favorite. Also fanfic-heavy, so I never know if I've got a place there. Tumblr always freaked me right the fuck out, but the Writeblr community has proven to be my favorite writing community I've discovered online. And in a very short timespan, I might add!

7. AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

I do not use AO3 but wordcounts can never be high enough 😎

8. What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

Probably too many to count. Little House on the Prairie A Separate Peace The Road Fight Club (recently rewatching this was humbling because it showed me how much of my writerly personality seems to be inspired by the way it rearranged my brain chemicals) Bullet Train (I fucken love this movie) Lawn Dogs Box of Moonlight Harold and Maude (book & movie) Pride and Prejudice (book & movie)

9. What’s the highest compliment you’ve ever been given, and have you been given it?

I've received some absolute banger compliments, and I don't want to dismiss any in favor of others. My favorite compliments are often ...questions? Just things that let me know people really did read, absorb, and are interested in things I wrote. Also, my love language is when people think about me of their own volition. So, any time people come to me apropos of nothing or say "this reminds me of you/your characters/your writing, I giggle and kick my feet and do a lil' happy dance.

10. What defines your writing style?

Gritty, casual. If it was art, it'd be the kind with the sketchlines still visible. Deep, silly. Visceral, I hope.

Taglist and blank template under the cut!

@albatris

@capnmachete

@harmonic-melodii

@illarian-rambling

@michellekarnold

@nathaniel-zellos

@sableglass

@saturnine-saturneight

1. Is writing a hobby or way of life?

2. A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

4.Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

5. Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

7. AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

8. What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

9. What’s the highest compliment you’ve ever been given, and have you been given it?

10. What defines your writing style?

[motohagios]

edgar: so interesting to see how you humans attempt to define love. mortality adds a certain element to relationships, the concept of how everything is so.... finite. perhaps the gods and immortals even envy humanity for how everything is made more precious due to its brevity on earth. love and romance in such a short timespan are only one of many things we forget the beauty of.... the idea you can lose your beloved after only mere decades....

jacques: well yeah. he tried to shoot me, but there's something about mortality-

allan: EDGAR.

edgar, ignoring him: yeah you know, violence and love are often intertwined in their own way

allan: EDGAR. DONT IGNORE ME. I SENT YOU A TIKTOK EARLIER.

edgar: it's lost on vampires in a sense....

lind: right... the immortality aspect must add a certain level of intensity to romance....

allan: EDGAR.

edgar: yes allan. im talking to the guests.

allan: i sent you a tiktok of a chihuahua and you didn't even heart react to it.

edgar: i don't have time to watch every single tiktok you send

allan: but i sent you only three today. and it's only a short tiktok each. it's only 30 seconds.

edgar: allan you send me so many tiktoks. we've been over this. i'm not watching every dog video you send

allan: AT LEAST A HEART REACTION EDGAR. MY GOD. I LITERALLY SACRIFICED EVERYTHING JUST TO BE WITH YOU

edgar: just ignore him. he's too young. he's only been a vampire for like 200 years. you see that's the issue with these type of age gap relationships-

allan: DONT TALK DOWN TO ME EDGAR. LET ME SEE YOUR MESSAGES. I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU HAVENT BEEN REACTING TO ANY OF THE TIKTOKS I SENT. IT LITERALLY TAKES 30 SECONDS OF YOUR STUPID DAY AND YOU ALWAYS LEAVE ME ALONE

edgar: ALLAN. ENOUGH. I DON'T CARE ABOUT CHIHUAHUAS. I'VE SEEN A MILLION CHIHUAHUAS IN MY LIFE.

allan: ITS ABOUT THE THOUGHT EDGAR ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU GIVE ME A SPECK OF ATTENTION SINCE I GAVE UP MORTALITY FOR YOU SO YOU COULD DEAL WITH YOUR LONELINESS AND YOU CANT EVEN GIVE ME BASIC RESPECT IM TIRED OF SEEING YOUR BLANK BLUE EYES EVERY DAY EVERY TIME I TRY TO ENGAGE YOU IN CONVERSATION. WHENS THE LAST TIME YOUVE TAKEN ME OUT ON A DATE YOU GERIATRIC FUCK

lind and jacques:

[mhevarujta]

Saltburn and The Talented Mr Ripley

I keep reading that Saltburn is a dollarstore version of The Talented Mr Ripley and I disagree... strongly.

1)This movie is a mix of genres and in open dialogue with many movies and books. People act as if this makes it unoriginal, but creators doing this consciously (and Fennell is very open about her influences) is not something new and WAS in fact used in movies and literature to make works exist not just individually, but also within genres and traditions, in comparison to one another. I don't think it's a matter of being uninspired and it's lovely that a movie that is meant to be pure, delicious fun has this much work put behind it.

2)Fennell herself has said that she loves Highsmith even though, when writing Saltburn, Ripley was not in her mind consciously like gothics and british country house stories.

I DO think that, subconsciously or not, she WAS affected by Ripley, but I still find that the similarities are contextualized within the genres and themes that interest HER. Some comparisons:

-Oliver is not in it for money in the beginning. He's not a poor, ill-treated-by-family opportunist who's working in whatever manner he can to get by or who HAS to be deeply closeted because his society and several specific characters have shamed him for his sexuality.

-The scene of Oliver cleaning Farleigh's room is compared to Tom cleaning up after Dickie and the latter snapping. A main difference I see is that in the Ripley-movie (this scene was not in the book), this is a very minor moment and Dickie is living up to his name short of two letters because he's irritable, grieving and guilty. In Saltburn, this scene is very different in context. Oliver is not cleaning casually. Felix complains about the heat and he's still like a piglet in his own filth, too rich to raise his finger. I DO remember my time at campus during the summer and the temperature in there, and the idea of two-days-old remnants of food being thrown in a room and having started to smell? Oh, boy. While what Oliver said can be seen as insulting, it can also be seen as honest and Felix's reaction as kinda immature and wanting to both be what he is and never be judged in the slightest, even if it's not in an ill-intended manner. This shows us part of who Felix is, why people put on performances for him, and how Oliver observes, acting on a trial and error basis, and shifts his performance as he goes along to fit to what is wanted of him. This is a scene that does a lot of groundwork in a small timespan.

-Unlike both book and movie-Dickie, this never becomes a story about Felix leading Oliver on. Whether Felix is aware of Oliver's feelings for him is never at the forefront. In fact, it's quite likely that they haven't registered, just like many things don't for him, and that's part of the story the movie is telling and of the criticism it's making.

-I'd also like to compare the three murders. I'm saying three because book!Ripley and movie!Ripley have different murder-scenes. In the movie, Dickie's annoyance and resentment escalate in the boat. Tom is finally honest in a way he never has been for, accusing Dickie of putting on a show himself, of leading him on, of being the one dishonest about his feelings etc. After all, by that point Tom has used honesty as manipulation in the beginning and has been genuinely honest later. The murder happens in the heat of the moment. In the book the murder is 200% premeditated. Tom had settled upon murdering Dickie and taking his identity before they are even on that boat. In fact, being on that boat is part of Tom's plan, and some final moments of having Dicke back in a good mood and experiencing his 'light' again, to not stay his hand.

In Oliver's case there is a very different quality to the murder. Felix has not reached some point of being bored. He has learned of Oliver's excessive lies and can't look at him as the same person no matter what Oliver says. Oliver deep down gets the gravity of that, yet he feels indignant because he knows that all people around Felix play little parts and doesn't see himself as being any different. In this case, the murder is premeditated, but undesired. Oliver wings the murder after his and Farleigh's discussion, being afraid that all of this will become a dream he is reminiscent over while he lives a miserable life, having become like his parents. The manner of it is inspired by the scene he witnesses when he tries to approach Felix in the bathroom during the party and when he sees Farleigh too doing lines. But even then, the confrontation in the Labyrinth is very real and heated. Even with the premeditation, Oliver is deeply desirous of having Felix's light sign upon him again and ready to put and end to his plan if that happened. It's never about taking everything away from Felix. It's about: 'If I can't have you, if you won't have me, you can't exist.' It's about Oliver's last hope being crushed. The rest is only the result of growing resentment and hatred, combined with an inability to let go and a need to feel victorious; a conqueror.

My point is that I don't reject the comparisons, but I think that there is thought, effort and depth behind the writing of this movie and it's not some downgrade.

[mama-qwerty]

You made a comment in the server about how with a living family to temper and draw the line for him, Eclipse might not go as bad as he could have gone if completely alone

Just for fun, want to explore a bad ending where Eclipse gets away from Black Doom but is alone and isn't loved and cared for, but he's going absolutely crazy from freedom anyway?

Hmmmmm . . .

Okay, so let's say in one scenario, the Black Arms are still around. Eclipse failed BD one time too many, and he just left the boy on a dead asteroid or something as punishment. At first Eclipse is all "OMG WHAT AM I GONNA DO I HAVE TO GET BACK INTO DAD'S GOOD GRACES" and it's hard going.

But then something happens. Eclipse survives. His instincts kick in, and he not only survives, he thrives. The asteroid isn't as barren as originally thought, and maybe he somehow finds a way to get to another planet, one that has a civilization on it.

Maybe this civilization isn't advanced. They have rudimentary weapons and such, maybe a bit of technology, but not much. So Eclipse does the thing he knows to do - he takes the lead. He becomes their leader, and lifts them to higher stages of advancement. Without BD looming over him, Eclipse is free to trust himself, to let his own instincts take over, and he's doing what he was created to do. Lead an army.

So he militarizes this civilization, and they are eager to follow him because maybe he's helped them defeat their enemies already, and they're loyal to him and try so so hard to be the best army they can be for him. And because he was on the receiving end of harsh punishments and constant criticism, he's actually encouraging to them, and finds they react so much better to that than threats and violence.

And maybe it's not just this army. Maybe he reaches out to the defeated enemies, offering strength and protection if they join him. And he's actually good at being a leader. His people love him.

But he's still harboring a pain from being abandoned in the first place. He's not simply doing this of his good will, he's amassing an army that will help him take down Black Doom, and defeat the Black Arms.

He's teaching them the tactics of his former hive. Their weak spots. How to defeat the warriors with very little loss of life on their side. And they learn quickly, and become quite formidable.

And then the Black Comet shows up.

Black Doom is surprised to find his failure of a patchwork experiment leading this pathetic batch of inferior creatures against him, but it is amusing in a way. The last in a long line of failures for this waste of organic life.

He sends the warriors down to defeat this pitiful resistance. And at first the Black Arms have the upper hand. Some of Eclipse's army fall. And Black Doom looks on in superior smugness.

But then something happens.

In moments the tide turns. Eclipse's army is taking out Black Doom's warriors as though they had been doing so all their lives. Eclipse is right on the front lines, leading his men, slashing and gutting those who were his brothers not long before. He fights with a ferocity Black Doom had never seen.

His strikes are precise. Clean. Effective.

Black Doom is no longer amused.

He sends more of his warriors out, the larger, fiercer ones, who all but guarantee a victory. Utter decimation of all living creatures who dare oppose him.

But it was as if Eclipse's army were waiting for them.

They are taken down in short order, with strategic tactics that rivaled Black Doom's himself. Eclipse's army moved like a well-oiled machine. The Black Arms warriors never stood a chance.

Black Doom tired of this.

He was about to order an aerial attack, when Eclipse teleported before him. The boy had grown larger in the short timespan that had passed since he was banished. His claws almost as sharp as his gaze.

He said not a word, and just as Black Doom addressed him, Eclipse shot forward, putting his arm through the leader of the Black Arms' chest.

Black Doom stood stunned. His mind blank. All the remaining warriors paused, as the death rattle of their leader echoed through their minds.

They were easy to pick off at that point.

Eclipse withdrew his arm as the body of his former father slumped to the floor. Black ichor dripped from his claws, and he moved to look out over his army as they finished off the last of the Black Arms warriors.

He was stronger than his father ever expected. And he was indeed leader of the strongest, fiercest, most dangerous army known to the galaxy.

A smile curled his muzzle as his army celebrated their victory below.

Now . . .

Oh now he was unstoppable.

. . . .

Okay, I think I veered WAY into left field with this and probably didn't even answer your question. 😆 Sorry Ames!

[tmntkiseki]

TMNT Art Diary 2: The Importance of Art Goals and Focusing Your Attention

Happy March, everyone! How are we doing? It's been almost a month and a half since my last turtle art diary, so I figured it was about time to type up yet another set of ramblings talking about my experiences learning how to draw the 2003 TMNT.

Before we get started, I feel it's worth mentioning that the future of this blog is kinda up in the air at this point? From the beginning, I've been against AI generated images because of the ethics involved and like many in the Tumblr art community, recent going-ons with the site have me concerned for where things might be headed. I'm not planning to jump ship just yet, but there is a pretty good chance that I'll be posting less and less original drawings here and start utilizing my newly created Pillowfort instead, as the staff has taken a very firm anti-AI stance to the point of completely banning both AI generated images and writing on the site (the official Tumblr post regarding their decision). If you're a fellow artist, TMNT or otherwise, they might be worth checking out as a potential alternative to Tumblr.

With that out of the way, let's begin!

Okay, so let's talk about something that applies to most anything when you're learning how to do art; the importance of art goals and taking things one step at a time. Whether you're a beginner artist or someone who already has years of experience under your belt, it's important to not only have goals in mind of what you want to learn, but also to try and not do everything all at once. There is a lot that goes into successfully drawing the turtles; their anatomy, applying their less human features like their shells and three-fingered hands, their expressions, their colors, etc. HOWEVER, if you're trying to learn to draw too many aspects of their designs all at once, you are going to become overwhelmed very fast and you will not see improvement as quickly, which inevitably results in frustration and loss of motivation. Ergo, you need to take things bit by bit, breaking down the turtles designs into bite-sized pieces and focusing on specific areas that you are having trouble on.

For instance, early on, I realized pretty quickly that one of the areas I was struggling in was the turtles heads; I love their shape, but damn are they hard to draw. Subsequently, there was a point where I was largely drawing turtle heads and ONLY turtle heads so I could learn what shapes went into them, what they looked like from different angles, etc. Within even a few days, I already saw massive improvements just because I wasn't trying to draw EVERYTHING all at once; just one very specific aspect of their designs. Compare the very first Donny I drew on the 5th of January to a quick doodle of Mikey I did a couple of weeks later on the 25th and you can see how much I learned in such a short timespan.

Speaking of shapes, you wanna know the biggest hack I've discovered for learning how to draw the 2003 turtles? Studying the Fast Forward art style. Yeah, you heard me.

At first glance, this seems kind of stupid. I'm pretty sure most people aiming to draw fanart of the 2003 turtles are planning to draw them in a similar style to the first five seasons, so it makes more sense to study screencaps and model sheets from those seasons rather than FF. However, the reason why Fast Forward is so useful for TMNT 2003 fanartists is because, at its core, Fast Forward is 2003's art style simplified. Anyone who has ever taken a professional art class or looked up tutorials online knows that basic shapes are incredibly important when drawing, as they are the building blocks of literally whatever illustration you're trying to make. Now, I absolutely love how detailed the designs from the first five seasons are, but because they are so detailed, a lot of the basic shapes do get lost under everything as a result, which can make it hard to figure out what actually goes into the turtles designs at a fundamental level.

Because the designs in Fast Forward are less detailed compared to what was seen in the first five seasons, many of the basic shapes that go into the turtles designs are much easier to spot. If you've been following me long enough, you know that I was absolutely LIVID to discover that one of the things I genuinely don't like about the Fast Forward style--the pentagon shaped heads--makes drawing the 03 turtle heads so much easier. To explain it in detail; a pentagon basically maps out the five "points" of a turtle's head. What these points represent can change depending on the angle from which you're drawing your chosen turtle, but if you're doing a turtle head from a front/three quarter view, the five points denotes the top of the head, the cheeks, and the chin. It requires some practice to get right, but by building off this initial pentagon shape, you can easily draw a turtle head in the style of the first five seasons. A hexagon works just as well and is especially useful if you're going for a rounder/softer head shape.

Beyond that, I think making to deliberate choice to draw in the Fast Forward style rather than the OG style is helpful for other reasons. When a turtle's head is only a pentagon, you don't have to worry as much about details and can focus on other areas you might be neglecting, such as figuring out the positioning of the eyes/mask, or developing the way you draw the turtles' expressions. (Seriously, the white pupil-less eyes are cool, but they do make conveying emotions a hassle, especially when the turtles are lacking for proper eyebrows.)

It's been about two months since I drew my very first 2003 turtle and while I'm still very far off from where I want to be, I've already made some leaps and bounds in terms of overall progress. I do sometimes feel annoying yelling about my turtle art learnings and struggles (especially when I know there is stuff that potentially comes off as Captain Obvious territory to others) but I personally find it helpful to write down everything I've learned and experienced in case I forget something and need to look back on it. And hey, maybe someone will see these disjointed ramblings as helpful. You never know.

Anyway, here's a lil Donny doodle from today to finish this entry off. See ya later!

[found-wings]

I can’t offer any fluffy fanfiction because writing consistently is incredibly difficult however

Even given the nature of Purgatory, the stakes of it all, would Etoiles and Fit ever really abandon Phil? When the first wave of bloodlust ebbs and the numbers glowing redhot on heavy and unkind metal cuffs dwindle down further- three hours, one hour, forty minutes, thirty- perhaps they would seek each other out in the twilight of their day, when nothing more can be gained and the best they can do is stave off further loss.

Perhaps they skirt Phil’s anxieties, his wariness that, again, Etoiles will kill him. That he and Fit will put Phil back in the split-second abyss of death, that he’ll need to run on a body pushed off-balance without a counterweight- but nothing happens, no sound of metal on sheathe nor metal on flesh and viscera painting it. Instead, with gentleness and soft assurances that he needn’t fear, he is brought into the fold of his flock and a secure embrace. A hand hovers over the haggard crow’s wings, just barely brushing against the dull and marred feathers in question; nothing will happen without permission and, once he gives it, a delicate hand brushes at the onyx plumage and preens, gently… gently.

They share stories about the smaller things, the pieces of purgatory less hellish- less sore and bitter and likely to revive the wellspring of anxious animosity. Phil shares that their flock has gotten all the larger, unsurprisingly, though they had all supposed- maybe took bets- that Cellbit would be there with them eventually.

And it’s okay. It’s soft, safe, even as their time tick-ticks down and twenty-five minutes drains away to fifteen, as the promise of the ice-cold drug that will leave them prone and dead to the world strays ever nearer. Even as Etoiles and Fit leave, fade into the horizon, Phil feels okay.

(It won’t last.)

~ 🐝

Answering this because I have been having so many thoughts surrounding this. I am still by no means caught up to the actual vods so idk how accurate this really will be AJAJA

I love your idea.

The hesitation from Phils side, the obvious growing suspicion he has for Fit and especially Etoiles after everything that has happened within such a short timespan - even when the last time they spoke not too long ago before all of this they were as closer as ever, silent promises of safety and trust.

I want there to be the constant feeling of 'what if?' and yet, as time passes by and they settle down together for a while to talk, nothing happens. Phil is not too sure whether to be relieved by it or not, but he embraces that change either way.

I want Phil to give quiet apologies for the fact that their flock got bigger at the worst time when they couldn’t even be all together, but Fit & Etoiles reassure him it‘s entirely fine and they‘re glad Phil has more of flock to help when they obviously can‘t.

BUT ALSO I‘M SO OBSESSED WITH RED TEAM BEING SO PROTECTIVE OF EACH OTHER????

I want especially Cellbit to absolutely refuse to let Phil go anywhere alone. Especially if it‘s Fit and Etoiles. To tell them off and put himself between these two & Phil as he guides Phil back towards the rest of their team to settle down - he is not letting them anywhere near him or the rest of their team like this.

I want silly red team to go absolutely feral over the thought of losing each other and being so protective & attached to each other RAAAAH

[flowersandbirdsflyingfree]

Callout Post: Be Wary of the Following User

I've tried everything before. I've remained quiet, I've tried going my separate ways as peacefully as possible, I've made mistakes in impulsive arguements, and I even tried quietly moving accounts. But I'm tired of remaining quiet. There's someone who's been stalking me since the friendship break-up back in August of 2022. Originally fluffy935, now known as edwards-kronorium115, has been harrassing me in subtle ways non-stop.

We had been great friends at first in 2021, only for things to fall apart when we were making too many mistakes to upset each other within a short timespan. I made a few mistakes in accidentally reposting their screenshots due to them not having a watermark and not being able to tell which was “gifted to me” or which was completely theirs as there was no indication to tell the difference. They hadn’t added watermarks until just recently when I had checked on them.

At first, we had disagreements due to sharing the same f/o. I already do with a very close friend of mine. Unlike that close friend, Eddie would go back and forth from being supportive to lashing out at me. My old first blog here (staminuptosuccess) is deleted but there I was spammed in DMs over a friend supporting me with Edward at the time. I was called a homewrecker, spammed vomit emojis, and further insulted. It was getting so bad that I went to Twitter and left everything behind around 2022. We made up and became friends again. Only for it to get worse. It got so bad she looked me up on FACEBOOK AND SOMEHOW FOUND MY PRIVATE NAME. I cannot show the contact to avoid doxxing. But her full name is there. I was isolated. She constantly told me how “I am your only true friend.” I was manipulated often into being away from my friends. She constantly tried putting everyone down, me included. I would be built up only to be put down again. I couldn’t handle her taking out her emotions on me. No matter how hard I tried, I always did something to make her angry or sad. So, I left Twitter in the midst of her rage. I uncensored the names of friends who consent to me posting the thread.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to upset her anymore and frankly? I didn’t want to be abused anymore either. Every time I was starting to thrive, she’d explode. She would pepper me in drawing gifts only to slam me down that I didn’t care enough or that I ruined everything for her. So I ended it. The Facebook thing freaked me out especially bc how did she find my name?

We had a short talk of what seemed like closure and wishing each other the best in life… until it wasn’t.

She took my quiz and made her presence known twice. I’d have my post liked until I was blocked. It happened to my friend too. After a while, I was able to find a way to block her back so she’d stop the discreet spying. She would reblog the same things I did. And ever so slowly plagiarize my work.

My Kalimba video: December 31st, 2022

(To be continued. Check below)

Part 2

Part 3

[one-winged-dreams]

Umber

ship: (pl: Adriel & Zack) (Adriel x Angeal [mentioned]) source: final fantasy vii word count: 1107

I'm still working on the werewolf au fic but I thought I'd go ahead and finish this one too because hhhhholy shit I forgot how much I was venting into this one, haha.

tag list: @dearly-beeloved @camellias-and-coriander @rebel-wolf13 @sunstar-of-the-north @mahitoslittlebird @goldenworldsabound @edencantstopfallininlove @sosoftandsweet @dorothys-wife @faerie-circle-ships @kylars-princess

"Hey, Zack? I've got a… Nevermind."

Adriel probably should have known better, not finishing a sentence in front of Zack like that. He didn't know him extremely well - they had only kept each other's company like this a few times. To fill the gap 'until Angeal comes back,' is what they told themselves.

But even so, earnest as he was, it wasn't hard to tell that Zack wasn't the type to let things go unsaid. Maybe that's why Adriel had come to like him so much within this short timespan.

As expected, as he glanced over to the other side of the bench, Zack was peering at him expectantly, the only thing stopping him from prompting further being the fact that he had been in the act of taking a drink.

Adriel's gaze turned back to his lap, and his perferal vision was blocked off by the curtains of his hair.

"It's kind of stupid, is what I mean."

"Hey now, there's no such thing as a stupid question. Trust me, I've tried to come up with one. Got pretty close a couple times, you know," the tone of voice he used was more than enough to convey the grin Adriel couldn't see, and it was half-impossible to not smile as well, even just a little bit.

So Adriel took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. "Okay, then. What color were your eyes before the mako infusion?"

"Well that sure is an INTERESTING question," Zack replied, cocking his head to the side in a manner that brought to mind the way Angeal had often likened him to a puppy. Adriel briefly wondered how many people he had been described as such to. "They've always been blue, just not THIS blue. But don't think that means I'm gonna break out the baby pictures to show you."

The quip made Adriel's hand come up, stifling a chuckle into his fingers.

"I won't pressure you, I promise."

"You sure? I WAS pretty adorable," Zack teased alongside a playful elbow nudge.

Adriel relented and finally offered him a smile in response, to which Zack unflinchingly reflected back twofold. Thinking he had contributed all he had to the conversation, Adriel turned his attention to his own drink.

"What, you think I'm not gonna ask you to reciprocate? As if. What about you?"

Styrofoam coffee cup a hair's breadth away from his lips, Adriel was silent. A few beats passed, and Zack wasn't sure he would get a response until the cup was lowered back to rest between his hands at lap level.

"Well… Mine were brown, actually."

The reply was soft, practically a murmur.

"I've got pictures… Probably not as cute as your baby ones, but," Adriel offered Zack a smile that seemed to be curbing a tide of pain.

And palpable as it was, Zack couldn't NOT pick it up. It took almost no effort on his part, seemingly attuned to that sort of thing. And he had come to see Adriel as a friend, how could he not try to push that tide back for him?

"Oh, really. I'm sure you can already tell how curious I am. Feel like sharing with the class?" he offered another one of those heartwarming grins.

It was seemingly effective enough if the way Adriel's smile warming by a margin had anything to say about it. He retrieved his phone, tapping until he seemed satisfied to hold it out to Zack. Adriel nodded, consenting for Zack to take it, and so he did.

The face staring back at him was smiling, but Zack could clearly see the same type of pain hidden beneath that delicate mask. This was obviously before Adriel had joined the SOLDIER program, and he had heard about how difficult things had been for him, heard things that pained him as much as it made him angry.

But most strikingly were his eyes. Umber. A hint of rust blending into the dark, earthy color.

"Wow…" was all Zack had to say, taken aback by the striking difference. It seemed to change the entire makeup of his face. Warmer. Softer. Vulnerable.

Hurt.

But more than anything…

"Angeal said…" Adriel interrupted Zack's thoughts, causing the latter to turn to look at him. He wasn't looking at Zack now, those mako eyes were trained at the ground, welling up with silvery tears.

"Angeal said that those weren't SOLDIER eyes. He said… He said they never should have been," Adriel's head bowed, and a single tear escaped down the curve of his cheekbone. "That they were too beautiful. And that if he could, he would change them back in an instant."

Uncharacteristically taken aback, Zack watched Adriel's shoulders begin to tremble.

"Like it never…" Adriel's voice cracked, teeth gritting to keep from sobbing. "Like it never happened. That he never would have let it happen."

The motion proved futile, and the expectant sob escaped. The coffee cup was suddenly forgotten, falling to the ground in a cascade of liquid thats color was reminiscent of the eyes that continued to stare up at Zack from behind the phone screen.

"A-Any of it-t-t."

The open weeping was inevitable, but the way Zack was suddenly wrapped around Adriel was hardly unexpected either. It had happened in an instant, those words resonating within Zack so strongly that he hadn't even had a second to think twice about it.

"Maybe Angeal can't change it. He can't take it back. And… And neither can I, but Adriel," Zack began, his eyebrows furrowing with the force of his conviction, "You're my friend. And so much more to Angeal. And when he comes back… WHEN he comes back. You'll know what all of this is for. Everything you've done has been and will be all for you. And me and Angeal… We'll be here to remind you."

The weeping ceased, preluding the trembling accompanied by shaky breaths. Adriel had been successfully grounded, seemingly attempting to pull himself together. And when he finally leaned into Zack's embrace was it clear Zack's words had gotten through to him.

The shaky breathing was the only sound for a while before Adriel swallowed hard, his lips moving silently before he was able to speak again.

"Thank you…"

Zack smiled, squeezing Adriel just a bit tighter.

"Of course. You just needed a Zack hug was all," he chuckled. "Oh! Here's your phone back. Wouldn't want to miss Angeal finally calling you back or anything," he only freed Adriel by one arm to transfer his phone from his own lap to Adriel's hands.

Taking a still shaky but deep, calming breath, Adriel nodded.

"Yes. Definitely."

[mercurialmalcontent]

I have some thoughts about this post about not putting hard numbers (times, measurements) in your writing unless absolutely necessary, after seeing a bunch of people be weird pedants in the notes and assuming that only refers to real-world dates and measures.

My prime example of how using specific numbers weakened the narrative is Final Fantasy XIV. When you begin the game, you learn that it’s been five years since a calamity that reshaped the face of the world, and fifteen years since a particular huge battle, twenty years since a different disaster. That’s fine, it gives the player an anchor point in the history of that world.

By the time you reach the end of the current expansion, mandatory content has guided your character through world-wide travel and multiple wars. Characters will allude to a fair chunk of time having passed since you last spoke to them, or talk about how travel between some places took days, weeks, months... and then someone in a main story quest will say it’s been five years since the Calamity, fifteen years since the Battle at Silvertear, twenty years since the Bozja incident, just like it was two entire wars ago.

At this point in the game’s life cycle it’s become frankly stupid, a having their cake and eating it too trying to justify why some characters don’t seem to age while also trying to insinuate time has passed... and it’s completely unneccessary. All it would have taken to avoid the absurd insinuation that this is all taking place in the span of a year is, past the base game, using inexact descriptions of the timespans involved.

There are so many ways to express the passage of time -- short, long, in-between -- that give a lot of wiggle room. In the years since the Calamity, in all the years since the Battle of Silvertear, in the many years since the Bozja incident -- three things I came up with off the top of my head that express a general idea of how long its been while still allowing a lot of flexibility. It doesn’t matter if a player has done no side content or all of the side content, that flexibility allows them to interpret the timespans involved in a way that makes sense for their playthrough. The player’s suspension of disbelief doesn’t get broken, and the developers still don’t have to worry about portraying the exact ages of characters.

Instead, it’s still been five years since the Calamity, fifteen years since the Battle at Silvertear, twenty years since the Bozja incident, to the point it jars people out of the story and has them rolling their eyes instead of paying attention.

[brittle-doughie]

Hey its 🎂 Birthday Cake Anon Sorry if am asking too many things in a short timespan but have my requests been received. I know that tumblr ate a lot of requests recently and want to know if you've received mines

Yus.

[bonesandthebees]

[“What? It wasn’t a lie,” Ranboo said, shaking his head. “Yeah, sure, Techno told me to become friends with you two so I could tell him things you might not wanna say to him or Phil, but I did it because I was trying to help you!”] either Aimsey only heard this part of the conversation, or learning Ranboo was told to befriend Tommy and Wilbur sent them over the edge. Maybe the fact that Ranboo admits it too.

Anyway, they are also all of us in this moment, and they are pissed. Because if that happened with Wilbur and Tommy, what if it happened with them too? Then Aimsey has about the exact same breakdown Tommy had. Going through the motions of “I defended Ranboo to Wilbur when he was right” and “I have told Ranboo so much info he should not have been trusted with”, but most importantly “was any of our friendship even real?” I’ll get back to that bit when talking about Ranboo himself.

Aimsey jumps on the bandwagon of forcing the truth out of Ranboo immediately. Because that’s the easiest way to find out if Ranboo screwed them over too. And he did, once and what that one thing was does determine how bad it was. I’m not sure if that matters to them or not, because Aimsey is pissed and it’s a betrayal either way. Knowing what it was will reveal if and how bad the damage was.

But most importantly, a lot of Wilbur and Tommy’s behaviour suddenly makes sense. And Aimsey is a Flosuim politician. That’s their field, that’d what’s important to them. So they would not know the true threat Essempi poses to the princes or how close that threat is. And even if they did, all logic is being overridden by anger. So they let the brothers go, getting info is more important. And they do care, so if the brothers don’t feel safe here, and Aimsey can see why, they should get to leave.

(2/3)

-🎄

aimsey mostly just heard that last bit. they didn't follow wilbur at first after their encounter. they kind of paced back and forth in the halls for a bit trying to decide what to do. they definitely considered doing what he asked and going back to their room. but then their curiosity got the better of them, so they tried to figure out where he went. they knew that ranboo had been heading back to his room so they wondered if wilbur and/or tommy was meeting up with him, hence why they headed in that direction. ranboo's room also happens to be close to the train platform, so they heard the voices coming from there and walked up just to hear that

poor aimsey had to speedrun the betrayal in such a short timespan while there is literally so much other stuff going on around them lmao. but they were pissed because they defended ranboo so many times, and they were genuinely upset at wilbur for being so hostile to him. but in the end, they're the fool, and their best friend on zephys iv lied to their face. they're not thrilled.

yeah fun fact aimsey had no idea wilbur and tommy could use their Voices, so they were internally reeling over that but decided to just deal with that surprise later and focus on getting answers out of ranboo while they can lmao. and sure enough, ranboo betrayed them.

keep in mind also, aimsey has talked a lot about being ignored by the other floslium ambassadors. they're not included in a lot of the larger conversations about what's happening in the galaxy. their role is limited, and so is the information they get. so that's why they don't know about how real the Essempi threat is (tbh, no one outside the military + phil and techno knew that Essempi ships had surveillance on the planet. that was classified info so as not to induce a panic).

and yeah, above all, aimsey is their friend. so even though leaving sounds like a bad idea, they're more focused on their own betrayal and how hurt their friends must be, so they let them go

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Seven: Echoes in Rain Pt. 4

 “Lust, can we get the radio on?” Gluttony asked after a while of enduring the silence for quite a bit. “I don’t know Gluttony, I’m sure it’ll be nothing but Pride’s lockdown of the city and protocols.” Lust admitted as she got the list finished up for sacrificial offerings.

 “If you want, I could tell a ghost story, that’s usually a tradition we have for storms like this anyways.” Dolly spoke up as she let the meat braise a bit in the stock. 

 “Aren’t you the one that normally reads fairy tales?”  Envy asked with a bit of a perplexed tone from their mental planning. “Even fairy tales can be scary, but I do love ghost stories as well. So, will you take up my offer?”  Dolly asked as she awaited the answer. “Envy we might as well, it’s certainly better than having to listen to protocols on the radio.” Lust stated as this was now a bit too quiet for her likings as well.

 “Fine, but if I miss any carnage on the radio, I’m blaming you.” Envy relented as they leaned against the wall.

 A playful smirk was painted on Dolly’s face for a change she had a story in mind, one she hadn’t told since Joel was a young child. It wasn’t even a question, more of a common sense reaction that she never told Freddy this story as he was already too squeamish and wasn’t sure how he’d handle it. The thunder rumbled out once again as Dolly started up the story as she kept watch on the food on the stove. “Well, if you are so insistent on hearing this one, I’ll gladly tell you. We had this relative, let’s call him George for simplicity sake, that had traveled southward for warmer temperatures. The colder weather up north was doing harm to his joints and had always wanted to live by a lake. George managed to get this job you see on an island in the middle of a lake as the lighthouse keeper at the time.” Dolly started the story off calmly as she checked the meat. “Thing to know about this island was that it had often been known for how fast many have quitted running the lighthouse job with a short timespan. George was I believe the twenty-fifth lighthouse keeper within that year when he got hired. The island was pretty self-sufficient with its own wild game and berries that grew in abundance there, so George really didn’t need to worry about food supplies. No, the real worry was when the lighthouse tour had begun for the first day on the job.” Dolly continued before getting cut off with a bit of laughter from Envy.

 “And then the ghost of some drowned fisherman popped out, we’ve heard..” Envy was about to say more when Dolly held a finger up in a hushed tone.

 “No, you should never assume things just that way before it's begun. The day was balmy as George and the guide exited the home that George was supposed to move into as they went up to the lighthouse. This lighthouse was built on a wooden platform as they came up to the stairs when something caught George’s eyes. Underneath the platform was this nest of planks, driftwood, and nails that were slapped together haphazardly, dangling like a wooden tumor at the base of the lighthouse. George had asked about the ugly construction underneath the lighthouse to only have the guide being just as confused by it. “ Dolly started the story back up again as Envy just rolled their eyes at it.

 “It was a glaring sight that George didn’t want to see every time he came up to run the lighthouse, so he had asked the guide about getting the wooden mound of ugliness removed. Unfortunately for George, because the Lighthouse was considered a historical landmark in the area, removing the unsightly construct underneath would compromise its historical integrity.  So, the eyesore stayed much to George’s displeasure as the tour concluded and the move in date was set. Each day since moving there, George would always be greeted to the sight of the unwelcomed crime against architecture everytime he went to work.” Dolly paused as she got the meat off the stove to set for a bit.

 “The construct seemed to grow each day, getting bigger every time George would go to work. Till one day, George had enough when the blanket he had placed over the entrance to the underside of the platform went missing. The next day, taking a boat to town, George went to the local carpenter to see about getting the offending bundle of wood removed, regardless of it being a part of a historical landmark or not. An agreement had been reached, three days or less to remove the construct underneath the platform before anyone else would notice provided that free meals would be given during that timespan and George took the carpenter back to the island with him to get the process started immediately.” Dolly stopped for a bit to test the meal a bit before touching up the seasonings with cinnamon and almond extract. “Things went well for the first day and a half, the carpenter would come out on time for the free meal on schedule and often they would chat a bit before parting to do their respective jobs. Then the carpenter suddenly stopped coming out around lunch time. George started to get a little worried, but figured the carpenter must have lost track of time. In George’s infinite wisdom, he crawled under the damned platform to check on the carpenter and give him the heads up about lunch being ready. As far as George could see, the tools were out and the entrance to the construct had been opened up the previous day to dismantle from the inside, but no signs of the carpenter. Clearly this was a brilliant idea to go inside of the construct as George went in.” Dolly continued as she started to fry up the pears to go with the lunch, Envy eying what’s being made.

 “What had been dry wood on the outside was like warm, humid, and damp leather on the inside as George entered. There were no signs of the carpenter as George went further inside of this leathery discomfort. His shoes were starting to stick a bit to the floor, having a bit of a hard time navigating when George stepped on something hard. Beneath the melting sole of George’s shoe was the halfway dissolved remains of the carpenter, having fused to the floor  and starting to blend in with the flesh tone leather interior. A sulphuric smell started to fill the inside as a low rumbling sound started up, George had enough. Though his shoes were pretty much melting at that point, George ran as fast as he could out of the structure and kept on running till the sight of the boat came into view. George scrambled into the boat and had started paddling away from the island when he heard something like wood snapping. Scurrying out from underneath the platform was that horrible construct on four wooden legs, running off into the forest of the island.  Ever since, George or anyone else from his family never went to the island ever again.” Dolly concluded as she served up the cinnamon chicken soup with fried pear and fenugreek gouda. 

[healeroflightanddark]

Reality Bytes, Chapter 3: Little Gothic Castle

The four boys stopped the recording after fifteen minutes of trying to settle on an outro, then started a new one for the new video.

“Okay, so, we can play now, right?” Yuri asked. By this time he was no longer able to conceal the hope and excitement in his voice. Yuya immediately grinned and teased him playfully, “Wow, Yuri, you’re pretty eager to play! Didn’t you say that Reality Bytes was a girl game?”

“Shushit, Yuya! Let’s just play the game!” Yuri said, his cheeks flushing slightly. His counterparts giggled, and Yuya said, “Alright, we can play. But first we have to move Zarc into his new home!”

The computer screen now showed a world map with a bunch of different icons all over it. Yuya smiled and said, “Oh, wow! This game has way more base game Settlements than any of the other Reality Bytes games!”

“Have you played the other games?” Yugo asked him. Yuya nodded and said, “Yeah, I actually own all of the games. I’ve been playing since I was like… I wanna say five? Back when the first Reality Bytes game was still relatively new. It came out shortly after I was born, and Mom loved playing it in her free time. My earliest memory of Reality Bytes is when Mom let me play on the computer and she went to get me a snack, and in the short timespan that she was in the kitchen I managed to set my house on fire and all my little Folks were dead by the time Mom came back. I didn’t understand what was going on, cuz I was five. But yeah, I’ve been playing Reality Bytes ever since then. So I know a thing or two about how to play.”

“Oh thank god, we got someone with experience,” Yuto said, relieved. “You can make sure we don’t accidentally kill off Zarc, right?”

“Definitely,” Yuya reassured him. “I know all of the basic deaths that are generally included in the base games and good ways to avoid them. There’s drowning, fire, electrocution, freezing, heatstroke, sickness, and food poisoning. Other death types are usually added through game packs, like in Reality Bytes Historical, the tenth game in the series, they added Death by Swordfighting and other historical death types with the game packs that added the time period they were from. And in Reality Bytes II, Folks could die of rabies if they were bitten by a wild animal if they had the Wilderness pack.”

“How many Settlements do the other base games have?” Yugo asked. Yuya replied, “Usually between one and three, though Historical had five. But you couldn’t travel between those five very easily. I think the company that previously owned the Reality Bytes sold it cuz they were getting a lot of criticism from the eleventh game because it was so buggy and had very little content for the prices and every time they released a new pack, it was broken. So the new company promised to make the twelfth game the best in the series. They said that almost everything that was added to the previous games through packs would be part of the base game in the twelfth game, like occult Folks, celebrities, seasons, college, hotels, pets, and more, as well as a lot of new stuff. I think one of the new things is actually being able to go to school and work with the Folks. Oh, and the various modes, too. Those are definitely new.”

“So, how many Settlements do we have in this game?” Yuri asked. Yuya looked at the computer screen and counted. “Fifteen, but I think that’s just the Settlements in Free Mode. I think all the other modes have their own Settlements. So let’s see. There’s Sunrise City, the metropolis. There’s Crystal Bay, the island paradise. Green Springs, the suburban town. Diamondback Palms, the desert town. Mount Shimmersnow, the mountain village. Agrippina Woods, the forest town. Riverdale Acres, the farming community. Darkfall Valley, the gothic town. That one was one of the Settlements mentioned by the developers as a base game occult Settlement. Uhm, Silver Falls, the lakeside houseboat community. Seraphina City, another base game occult Settlement. I think that one is bigger and has enough neighborhoods for each base occult to have their own, plus a few extras for mixed communities and non-occult communities. Ah, let’s see, what am I missing… Oh, Starlight City, the big celebrity city. Oh! Paradigm City, that’s the capital of the main Reality Bytes nation, interesting to see it finally be added to a game! It’s only ever been mentioned in the other games! There’s San Selido, the jungle settlement, that one is supposed to have a lot of treehouse homes. Evermore, the college town. And Debutown, a giant empty city made specifically for people who like to build their own stuff and populate the Settlements themselves.”

“Wait, we can build our own house?” Yuto asked, intrigued. Yuya nodded. “Yep, each of the neighborhoods in each of the Settlements has at least one empty lot for people to build their own things, and at least three of the houses already built in each neighborhood are uninhabited and ready to move in. Plus, each Settlement has at least four neighborhoods. One lower-class, one middle-class, one upper class, and one commercial.”

“Okay, I wanna build Zarc’s house,” Yuri said. Yugo nodded eagerly, “Yeah, it’ll probably suck, unless Yuya’s good at building in Reality Bytes, but we gotta at least try!”

Yuya’s eyes widened and he chortled, “Uhm, yeah, I’m no good at building. It’s gonna be terrible. I usually just download houses or place my Folks in pre-made houses. The last time I tried to build, it ended up looking like an architect’s worst nightmare. The placement of the windows and doors made it look like it was staring into my soul…”

Yuto chuckled. “Well then, let’s build a house! Now, where should we build it?”

“Well, if Zarc wants to be an A-List Actor, then what better place for him to live than the big celebrity city?” Yuri suggested. “What’s its name again?”

“Starlight City,” Yuya reminded him, clicking on the map icon for the city. The map slide-transitioned to a new map, this one of the city itself. The four boys’ eyes widened at all the details and lots, and they spoke together, “Whoa!”

“That is so cool!” Yugo said excitedly. Yuri nodded in agreement. “And look! There’s six residential neighborhoods! Let’s take a look!”

They started checking out the neighborhoods, first starting with what appeared to be the poorest neighborhood. The houses looked like they were very cheap, and Yuri pursed his lips. “No. We don’t want Zarc to live in a trailer park. Just no. He deserves better.”

“How about here?” Yuya suggested, moving on to what seemed to be the working class neighborhood. The houses in that neighborhood appeared to be rather decent, albeit a bit small and with no backyards. The empty lots in the neighborhood were also small.

“Eh, too small,” Yuto said. “Next neighborhood.”

The next neighborhood was clearly the middle class neighborhood. The houses were quite nice, ranging from small two-bedroom houses to modest two-story houses, and they all had very nice backyards. The empty lots appeared to be the same size as the lots that the two-story houses were on.

“That could be a nice place to live,” Yugo said. “Oh, and look! That empty lot is right next to a river! Maybe Zarc could get into fishing!”

“Oh my god, guys look! It’s a little black castle!” Yuri said suddenly, pointing at a house in what seemed to be the upper-middle class neighborhood. “Yuto’s dream home!”

“Oh my god, it really is!” Yuto exclaimed, looking at the little gothic castle in delight. “Can Zarc live there?”

“No, someone already lives there,” Yuya pointed out. “See that little white soccer ball-shaped glowy orb over it? That means someone lives there.”

“Ah, just kick them out and let’s steal their home!” Yuto said. Yugo giggled. “Can I just say, that castle is totally throwing off the neighborhood’s feng shui. You’ve got all those nice pastel houses and then it’s just black castle of death! and the vibe is ruined.”

“Exactly my kind of house!” Yuto said. “C’mon, let’s just kick them out!”

“We can’t,” Yuya explained. “Not until we move in somewhere. We’re in Moving Mode, which means we can’t evict anyone yet. Also, I’m pretty sure we can’t afford the gothic castle yet. We only have 35,000 ByteCoin.”

“Really? ByteCoin?” Yuri asked, unimpressed. Yuya shrugged. “That’s the name of the currency in Reality Bytes. Yuri raised an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Puns.”

“We seriously can’t afford my dream home?” Yuto asked, slightly devastated. Yuya patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Yuto. We’ll make our house black so it can be gothy for you. And if we can afford it, we’ll even put in a tower or two!”

This seemed to pacify Yuto, and he settled down so that the boys could continue checking out the rest of the city. They moved on from the upper-middle class area to the upper class area, impressed by the mansions. Yugo’s tourmaline eyes were sparkling and he said, “Now that is where I wanna live! It’s like Tops territory!”

“We should totally move into one of the empty lots and ruin the feng shui of the neighborhood to avenge Yuto,” Yuri giggled. “Build our crappy little poor house with its gothic black exterior and tower, and make the neighbors ashamed to have us living next door.”

“Yes,” Yuto said immediately. “Avenge me. Zarc must live in a rich neighborhood and ruin the feng shui.”

“Well, before we settle on this neighborhood, there’s one more to check out,” Yuya said. “The 1% neighborhood. The neighborhood with the biggest mansions. It looks like they’re like multi-billion yen houses!”

“Ooh, change of plans!” Yugo said eagerly. “We move into the biggest empty lot in that neighborhood, build our crappy little poor house, making it black with a tower for Yuto, and make the whole city scandalized!”

Yuto, Yuri, and Yuya all hummed in agreement, and looked for the biggest empty lot in the elite neighborhood. It didn’t take them too long to find it. It was an incredibly massive lot of 100 by 100 squares, and it appeared to be on the highest peak in the entire city. Yuya read the price and winced. “It’s going to cost us 17,500 ByteCoin to buy this lot. That’s literally half our money if I’ve done the math correctly. Which I probably haven’t. We’re all 100% certain it’s gonna be worth it?”

“Yes,” his three counterparts said together. Yuya gave a nod and moved the Zarc-Folk into the lot. As the game loaded, Yuya selected the Renovate button and smiled. “We’ve got 17,500 ByteCoin to build a poor man’s gothic castle. Let’s do this!”

There was suddenly a knock at the door and Yoko called out, “Boys, I brought you some cookies and milk!”

Yugo squealed in excitement. “Cookies! I love cookies!”

Yoko opened the door and walked in with a big plate of chocolate chip cookies and four tall glasses of milk on a tray. “Here you go, boys! Eat up!”

“Thanks Mom!” Yuya said happily. “Oh, hey Mom! Say hi to the camera!”

“Oh, are you recording your play session?” Yoko asked, smiling brightly. Yuto nodded, “Yeah, we’ve decided to start a gaming channel playing Reality Bytes.”

“It was my idea,” Yuri said proudly. Yoko beamed and said, “Sounds like fun! Enjoy your games!”

As she left the room, Yugo looked at Yuya. “Your mom’s awesome!” he said, stuffing his mouth with a cookie. Yuya smiled and replied, “I know. Now, let’s build Zarc’s house!”

“Okay, so how do we do that?” Yuto asked, scooting a little closer to the computer. At that, Yuya froze and blanked for a moment, before responding. “Uhm, well, we could draw the walls for the building and rooms ourselves but… Oh! This Reality Bytes game has pre-made rooms that we can place on the lot! They come fully furnished!”

“Oh, well if we do that, then the final product will probably look awful and ruin the feng shui of the neighborhood even more…” Yuri mused. “Let’s do it!”

“Yeah!” Yugo said eagerly. Yuto chuckled and the boys started searching through the pre-made rooms.

“We gotta keep in mind our budget of 17,500,” Yuya reminded his counterparts. “Plus we need to save some money for the tower. So we should probably go with cheap options.”

“Let’s start with the living room,” Yuto suggested. The boys selected the Living Room tab and laughed at the first option. “It’s so awful!” Yugo exclaimed. The first and cheapest option had a simple two-seater sofa and matching chair that looked very old and shabby, a coffee table with a small dead-looking houseplant, a poorly-lit ceiling light, and literally nothing else.

“Okay, I know we want to bring shame to the neighborhood, but we can’t make Zarc live with such an awful living room,” Yuya pointed out. “Folks are affected by environment. Make the house look as out of place as possible from the outside, but we need to at least give Zarc some decent things so he’s not uncomfortable.”

“Fair enough,” Yuri agreed. “The second option looks pretty decent from what I can see.” He was right, the second cheapest living room was a much needed upgrade. It had two nice three-seater vinyl-looking sofas and a matching chair, a coffee table with a living houseplant, a rug, a little TV on a console table, two end tables with lamps on them, a matching floor lamp, and a chandelier. It even had a few paintings on the walls!

“Wow, that’s actually really nice!” Yuto said, impressed. “And that’s just the second cheapest living room?”

“Mhm!” Yuya said, selecting the room and placing it near the front of the lot. Then he zoomed out and the boys laughed at how tiny it was compared to the rest of the massive lot. The living room was only 5 by 6 squares.

“Oh my god, the neighbors are gonna hate us!” Yuto laughed. Yuya giggled and replied, “I know right! And it’s only going to get worse! Now let’s go to the kitchen!”

He selected the kitchen tab and the boys scooted closer to the screen in anticipation. Yugo blinked at the first kitchen and said, “Okay, we can’t do that kitchen. It looks too much like the kitchen Rin and I grew up with. What’s the second option?”

The first kitchen was absolutely tiny, only 3 by 4 squares with an old cheap refrigerator that looked like it was one door-slam away from the dump, a stained counter, a cheap stove that looked like it wouldn’t even turn on half the time, and a sink. The floors were linoleum and the ceiling light matched the first living room’s ceiling light.

The second option was quite nice, a 4 by 4 room with several granite-looking counters, a matching island, a decent stove and fridge, and a better sink than the first one. The floors were tile, the light was a pendant light, and there were even some upper cabinets, a stove vent, and a bowl of fruit!

“Are all the second cheapest options this nice?” Yuya asked, tilting his head as the boys placed the kitchen right behind the living room. Yugo shrugged. “I don’t know, but we need to get some barstools for the island so Zarc can sit down to eat.”

He took the mouse and accidentally clicked on the stove as he was moving the mouse toward the catalog. The stove moved with the mouse, and Yugo yelped. “Ack! No! Stop! Go away stove! Go back to where you were! Shoo! Yuya! Yuya, help! I don’t know how to control this game!”

Yuya quickly took the mouse and moved the stove back to where it was supposed to be, clicking to place it. “You click once to pick up and click a second time to put down,” he explained, smiling. Yugo blushed. “Oh, I knew that…”

Yuri snorted and took the mouse from Yuya, being very careful not to click. He selected the catalog and searched for barstools. He selected a rather cute pink barstool and placed it at the island, then selected a second, purple barstool and placed it as well.

At this, Yuto raised an eyebrow. “Two?” he asked. Yuri looked at him. “Well, what if he has a date come over for dinner?”

“They’ll be scared away by Zarc’s datewear,” Yuya said with a grin. At this, the four boys started giggling like maniacs, remembering the teddy bear mascot costume.

After his giggles subsided, Yuri grinned. “Okay, now, before anything else, Zarc needs a bedroom and then a bathroom. Let’s see the options!”

The first pre-made bedroom was just as disappointing as the cheapest kitchen and living room. All it had was a cot, a dresser, and the same ceiling light as the others. Yuya made a face. “No. Just no. This is a house, not a prison!”

He selected the second option expectantly. This one was nicer, as the boys had come to expect, a 4 by 5 room with a double bed, a wall light and painting over the bed, a chair that matched the one in the living room, a rug, a wardrobe, a floor lamp, and a globe pendant ceiling light.

“Ah, yeah, now that’s more like it!” Yuya said, pleased as punch as he placed the bedroom directly next to the living room. Then he said, “Now it’s time for the bathroom! Who wants to bet that the cheapest one sucks and the second-cheapest one is really nice?”

Just as they suspected, the cheapest bathroom was simply awful. A 2 by 3 room with a toilet, sink, bathtub, and flimsy-looking mirror, as well as the same linoleum as the cheapest kitchen and the same ceiling lights they’d come to expect. The second cheapest bathroom was, as expected, much nicer, a 3 by 4 room with a shower, a fancy sink, a nicer looking toilet, a better mirror, and a houseplant. The floor was tile, the ceiling light was a chandelier, and the walls were white tile with one blue-painted accent wall.

“Bam!” Yuya said, placing the room directly behind the bedroom and next to the kitchen. Yuri nodded in approval. “Gotta have that bathroom close to the bedroom so nobody uses the sink as a urinal in the middle of the night!” Everyone looked at him in confusion, and Yuri scowled. “Someone did that once at Academia. True story.”

“Seriously?” Yuya asked. “Who does that?” Yuri shrugged. “The Obelisk Force, apparently.”

“Weren’t they supposed to be the elite students?” Yuto asked, unimpressed. Yuri just shrugged again.

Suddenly, Yuya’s duel disk played a little tune, and Yuya’s eyes widened. He dropped the mouse and scrambled over Yuri and Yugo, who were sitting between him and his duel disk. The two counterparts yelped and tried to get out from under him, but the tomato-head appeared to be very determined to get to his duel disk at any cost. He managed to grab his duel disk and clambered back over Yuri and Yugo back to his own seat, looking down at his duel disk with a lovey-dovey look on his face.

“Yuya!” Yugo scolded, pouting at the tomato. Yuya glanced up at him innocently and said, “Shingo’s texting me!”

“Someone’s in loooooove!~” Yuri teased, causing Yuya to blush brightly. “W-well if I don’t text him back within fifteen minutes of him texting me, he’ll start spamming me with messages until I respond!” he protested.

“A fifteen-minute time limit, and yet you drop everything and rush to check your texts the moment you hear his text sound go off?” Yuto raised his eyebrow in slight amusement.

“Yep, someone’s in love!” Yuri grinned. Yuya blushed brighter, and pouted, looking down at Shingo’s text. He lit up in delight when he read it. “Oh! Shingo’s inviting me and Reiji out to the skating rink this evening!”

“Really?” Yuri asked. “Both of you? Don’t he and Reiji normally only invite you out, and not each other?”

“Maybe he wants to show off, and have a competition between him and Reiji to impress Yuya with their skating skills?” Yugo suggested. “After all, both of them do tend to try to one-up each other to impress him.”

“That’s actually a good point,” Yuri conceded. “I wouldn’t be too surprised if that’s actually why Sawatari invited Reiji as well. He really is a bit of a show-off!”

“Moving on!” Yuya said, having sent a text to Shingo accepting his invitation during the conversation. “We’ve only got 4,644 ByteCoin left. Gotta add the tower now. Where do you want it, Yuto?”

Yuto studied the building they’d made from the rooms for a bit, then asked, “Can we put it at the front where the living room is, and put the front door on it?”

“Oh, that sounds perfect!” Yuri said. Yuya carefully added a 2 square long 4 square wide half-octagon to the front of the living room, then moved up a floor and built an octagonal room above the half-octagon. He then added an octagonal roof to the tower and placed a couple of gabled roofs on top of the first floor. “You know, that doesn’t actually look all that bad! Definitely better than I’ve ever done on my own!”

“Great! What’s next?” Yugo asked. Yuya considered for a moment, then said, “We need to paint the outside walls black, and add some windows and a front door. Oh, and a trash can too, cuz trash is a thing in Reality Bytes.”

Yuto took the mouse and began looking for a good black wall texture. He quickly found a black stone one that looked like it belonged on a proper castle. “Oh, perfect!” he said, delighted. “Uhm, how do I put it on the walls?”

Yuya smiled and took the mouse again, showing his counterparts how to paint the walls. He covered all the exterior walls in black stone, then looked at Yuto for his opinion. Yuto nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with the result. “Windows?”

The boys searched through the window catalog, and quickly found windows that were clearly made for a castle. And they came in black too! Yuri tilted his head and asked, “Is there a castle in this game?”

“I think so, in Paradigm City,” Yuya replied. “Like I said before, that’s the capital of the nation that most of the Reality Bytes games take place in, and it’s a monarchy too, so I think the royal family lives in a medieval-style castle.”

“Interesting,” Yuri said. “Maybe Zarc should befriend the royal family. They could fund his lifestyle!”

“I mean, he doesn’t have very much money left,” Yuya pointed out. “And the windows are… Good grief! 125 ByteCoin for these little windows?! The bigger castle windows are the same price as these little ones! We’ve only got 3,726 ByteCoin left!”

“We gotta be careful how we place the windows then,” Yuto said. “Let’s see, I’m thinking we do three of these big windows in the bedroom, two on the side and one in the front, then two on the side of the living room. And then place four little ones on the side of the kitchen like so, so that they look like two bigger windows, and then do the same here in the bathroom—”

“Yuto, you’re using up all our money!” Yuya interjected, eyeing the funds. Yuto replied, “I’m almost done. Now, let’s add some little windows to the tower like this—”

“Yuto! Yuto, we don’t even have a door! How is Zarc going to get inside his house if he doesn’t have a front door?” Yuya said, trying to take the mouse.

“Ah, don’t worry, he can just camp on the lawn!” Yugo said, grinning. “You should add more windows, Yuto! Make your dreams come true!”

“No, no, no more windows!” Yuya said, still trying to get the mouse from Yuto. The eggplant-haired counterpart grinned and added one more window, before opening the door catalog. “Relax, Yuya, we still have 526 ByteCoin for doors. And look! There’s a bunch of 30 ByteCoin doors!”

“Oh thank god,” Yuya muttered, relaxing a bit. His relief was short-lived, as Yuto immediately selected a 500 ByteCoin door clearly designed for a castle. “Yuto! We’re not gonna be able to afford to eat!”

“Psh, who needs food?” Yuri said, grinning. Yuto looked at Yuya pleadingly. “C’mon, Yuya? This door is perfect for our poor man’s gothic castle! Please?”

Yuya groaned, then said, “Alright, fine. But we’re gonna need to get Zarc a job immediately.”

Yuto hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Yuya! This is why you’re my favorite!”

“Yuya’s my favorite too!” Yugo said, also hugging Yuya. Yuri grinned and joined the group hug, “Yuya’s everyone’s favorite!”

“Aww, thanks guys,” Yuya said, his voice muffled slightly from the group hug. “So, should we finish Zarc’s house and start actually playing?”

“Yeah!” Yuri said eagerly as the counterparts ended the group hug and sat back in their seats. “What’s left?”

“We need a trash can,” Yuya said. “The cheapest one appears to be 20 ByteCoin. That’ll leave us 6 ByteCoin for food which, if the prices of food have remained the same as Reality Bytes X, is enough for a single serving of salad and a bowl of mac n’ cheese.”

“Perfect!” Yuri selected the trash can and placed it outside behind the bathroom. “Then that’s Zarc’s house done!”

“Oh wait!” Yuya exclaimed. “Mailbox! He needs a mailbox! In Reality Bytes VIII, IX, and X, if you didn’t have a mailbox, one would spawn in your house right in front of the front door and block the way in.”

“Will we be able to afford salad?” Yuri asked. Yuya nodded, searching through the catalog for mailboxes. “Yeah, mailboxes are free. Mailboxes have always been free. I think we should get this wall mailbox and put it on the outside wall of the living room that doesn’t have any windows. Look, it even comes in black!”

“Black like my soul!” Yuto joked as Yuya placed the mailbox. “My gothic castle is complete!”

Yuri chuckled. “I mean, it’s not even a castle, it’s got gabled roofs and no battlements! It’s just got a tower!”

“Well, roofs are free, and battlements cost money,” Yuya pointed out, showing him the battlement-style fences. “We’re gonna have to earn the battlements.”

“Gotta love how we all just collectively decided to make a gothic castle because Yuto wanted that one in the upper-middle class area,” Yugo chuckled.

“Well, let’s see how it looks!” Yuya said, zooming out a little and rotating the camera around the house. After a moment’s observation, Yuri hummed, “Seems a little short to be a castle.”

“Yeah, but that’s just how tall the walls are in these games,” Yuya explained. As he spoke, he accidentally clicked on a button on the toolbar at the top of the screen, and the walls suddenly got taller. Yuya stared for a moment, then exclaimed, “Well that’s a new feature! We can make the walls bigger?”

“Now it looks like a proper castle height!” Yuri said with a grin. “Can we adjust the position of the windows to look better?”

“Uhm…?” Yuya clicked on a window and moved it up a bit. “Apparently! That’s also new! They didn’t have those features in any of the previous games!”

The four boys adjusted the windows, then sat back and smiled. “It’s perfect!” Yuto said, pleased. “All it needs now is to replace the gabled roofs with battlements, but like you said we’ll need to earn them.”

“I’m glad you like it!” Yuya said. “It’s actually the best house I’ve ever built in this game series! And that’s probably because it’s made entirely of pre-built rooms.”

“So now we play?” Yuri asked, now no longer bothering to even try to hide his excitement. Yuya grinned and nodded. “Now we play!”

[kindred-spirit-93]

the devil works hard, but people work harder omg

posted something on r/TOMT a lil while ago and my jaw quite literally dropped when within record time some angel had already found exactly what i was looking for. God bless you kind stranger :')

if that wasnt brilliant enough as it is, turns out i had misremembered a lot lol (like the gist of it was alright but the only accurate detail i got was this background character mentioning their daughter), but still, it was ridiculously impressive and im devastated.

this morning i randomly remembered a scary short story i had read back in 2017 ish in highschool as a means of escape from my surroundings. id turned to scouring the small library my school had at the time, and quickly found an outlet in works of mystery and horror.

i read all sorts, most notably the many adventures of sherlock holmes, as well as miscellaneous and less known classics of the genre. this particular gem stuck with me more than the others, which is maybe why now that ive found it, im oddly emotional.

and its the strangest assortment of feelings too, from not expecting anyone to answer, the shock of finding a strong lead, anticipation while reading through it to see if it was a match, a moment of epiphany when id really and truly found it, to the cold bucket of 'oh?' is this it? the cold emptiness after a mission completed, a purpose fulfilled. i dont think ive experienced this wide of a range of emotions within this short of a timespan. i think i went through the 7 stages of grief all at once.

it never fails to surprise me how fast i unintentionally get attached to really insignificant things and let them have their way with me. in this case i think my mind unlocked a little drawer that had been long forgotten, so mush so, its contentents, regardless of how small and harmless they may have been, were bound to overwhelm my senses.

its interesting to think that as amazing and awe inspiring as the human mind is, the brain cant differentiate between whats real and what is percieved as such. a connection to a fictional character for instance is real, even if they arent, the brain builds connections and those, are very real.

i think the newfound (or rediscovered) knowledge of this particular period of my life physically threw me back into my 12 year old body, complete with the whirlwind of thoughts and neurotransmitters that defines that sticky age.

i felt the warmth of the sunshine peeking through the blinds of the library, warming me and the pages between my fingers, but the bitterness in my throat followed when i as an adult remembered what had put us in this situation in the first place. what, or rather who, i was escaping by living through ink beside another kind of monster...

tl;dr - it was The Mezzotint by M.R James that u can read here, highschool sucks, im going to eat ice cream.

UPDATE we ran out of ice cream now im really crying while munching on bugles. bruh 😭