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ofmdrecaps · 2 months ago

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11/23-24/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Republic Of Pirates: Airport Con! - Rhys, Con, Nathan, Vico, and Kristian; Photo Dumps on Tumblr; Positive Comments from the Con; ROP: Fan Spotlight!; More Cast & Crew Sightings: Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Zayre Ferrer; Voting Reminders; Love Notes!

Hey all! Sorry after tumblr killed my drafts I lost all motivation because I was very grumpy so this is much later than intended-- but it did let me get a hold of a few more lovely folks so it worked out!!

= Rhys, Con, Nathan, Vico, and Kristian =

So many of you got to make it to the Republic of Pirates Con this past weekend with Starfury Conventions! It sounded like a completely bonkers, amazing con! So many cool pictures from cast and crew, and fans alike!

Sources: Con's Instagram, Starfury IG/Twitter / 2

Some shots of Kristian's awesome concert with the cast!

Source: Vico's IG Stories

And that video of Rhys and Con from Rhys---Thank you @sherlockig for bringing it over to tumblr!

Source: @sherlockig's Tumblr

== ROP Photo Dumps on Tumblr ==

There were some awesome folks who attended the convention that posted more photos if you wanna check them out!

= Crimson & Clover =

Super huge thanks to the extremely kind @crimson-and-clover-1717 for sharing these uplifting pics!!

Rhysie Pics

Message and Pic From the Crew

Source: @crimson-and-clover-1717

= London Spirit =

Also major thanks to the darling @londonspirit who was kind enough to let me share her photo dumps and this cast photo! She's going to be doing a write up and another dump soon (but needs a much deserved break!) so keep an eye on her blog for more fun stuff in the future!

Photo Dump 1

Photo Dump 2

Source: @londonspirit's Tumblr

== Some Uplifting Convention Comments ==

Source: TrixnTreats Bsky

(Also by Rhys!)

Source: Comedy Nerd Bsky

== Republic of Pirates Fan Spotlight! ==

= Unicorn Death Race =

One of our incredibly talented crewmates @unicorndeathrace cosplayed as the absolutely devastated (and devastatingly gorgeous) Widow Olivia! The cast gave a standing ovation and everything! So well done hon!

Source: @unicorndeathrace's Tumblr

PS: Does anyone know who else placed in the competition? I'd love to reach out to them!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

Are you going to be in LA on the 6th of December? Well Rhys will be there at his RD Saying Funny Things Society! You can get tickets here: Tickets to the show on December 6, 2024 in Largo Los Angeles (Note: I could have sworn he was going to Galaxy Con Columbus that weekend but it sounds like he's not (either anymore or ever?), sorry if I gave the wrong info previously!)

Source: Rhys' Bsky

Rhys got a new phone pen and the Darby Daily Doodles are back!

Source: Rhys' Substack

= Taika Waititi =

More pictures from kokocamden from a couple weeks back!

Source: Julien MaxP Instagram

= Zayre Ferrer =

One of our Fab writers, Zayre Ferrer has been doing an "Imaginary Spin Off Series" set of posts where they are coming up with amazing spin off ideas for shows that have ended/been cancelled. Their latest is Nana-- but if you arent already following along, there are some pretty bad ass ones in there!

Source: Zayre Ferrer's Bsky

== Voting Reminder! ==

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, and audiobook narrated by our beloved Lucius, Nathan Foad has made it to the final rounds of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards. If you enjoyed it and want to support it, can you please give it a vote when you have a moment? Thanks!

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! I hope those of you who got to go to the convention this past weekend had such an amazing time! Those of us on the opposite side of the world, or who couldn't make it really appreciate all the love and sharing you did! It sounds like you had such a blast! One thing I want to send is many many hugs because I know there's always the post-con funk that can happen, and I know coming down from that high can be a bit rough! Just remember to be kind with yourself and give yourself some extra grace if you're having some big feelings this week okay? Prioritize you! Things will look up again, and I hope you have those beautiful memories keeping you warm while they do <3

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A post shared by Katie Abey 🌈 (@katieabey)

instagram

Source: KatieAbey's Instagram

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bills-pokedex · 8 months ago

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To whom it may concern (Bebe and Cassius):

I'm sure we'll all well aware of the current event surrounding a certain Unovan(?) entrepreneur who stylizes himself as a genius. It is therefore unnecessary to show me news about his latest "innovative endeavors" for the express purpose of "watching [me], an inventor, age about ten years every time."

So to get it out of the way for the thirteenth and hopefully final time:

Yes, I'm aware.

No, I don't know how he got a stainless steel tank, a rocket cobbled together from spare parts, a self-driving car that occasionally ignites into a ball of flames while trapping its driver in thanks to multiple design flaws, or the brain chip past an ethics committee.

Yes, I am "salty" that I made one mistake with one of my inventions, and now I'm constantly scrutinized by the Pokémon Cutting-Edge Technology Research Institute's ethics committee.

No, I do not want the brain chip.

Yes, I want to study the brain chip.

The fifth point is out of morbid curiosity as to how it got past an ethics committee, not respect.

Hopefully, this clears things up.

Best, Bill

{From the Mun:

I found this in the drafts, and I thought it would be hilarious to bring this out and tack on an update post while I'm at it.

But the biggest thing is, I'm . . . actually leaving Tumblr. Now, the main reason for that is my main got super borked up. I've been told by my followers over there it's not shadowbanning, but I'm pretty sure it's random-ass shadowbanning. I cannot receive asks, I can't tag people, I don't have DMs, and I don't show up in notes. As for why, I can't fathom. For the most part, I've kept my nose pretty clean on that account, other than that one time somebody in the writeblr community kinda lost it and tried to use a bunch of random people as a scapegoat for drama reasons. Yeah, idk.

Anyway, the point is, I've submitted a ticket a few months ago and then . . . never heard back. And honestly, for personal reasons, I'm not really inclined on remaking.

Personal reasons being I'm gunning for writing an actual book, as you might know from my last-ish post? Like, non-Pokémon book. Though I'll admit some bits might be familiar to those of you who've hung around the blog for a while. Here's a hint: take powerverse, gender swap it, role swap it, and then stick it into FFXIV and add more steampunk. It's been cooking for the past year you haven't seen me, and I'm aiming to start pitching it to agents by the end of the year. If you'd like to follow along, if you're also a writer who would like to make more writing friends, or if you just like my writing for some reason and want to keep up with me, you can find me at jaxwolffwrites on both Bluesky and Twitter. Bsky moreso, but you'll get progress on this project on either of those other platforms.

Now, I will say this: just to be fair, I'm doing three things:

Closing the askbox. Admittedly, if you've been sending me asks for the past three months, I haven't seen them anyway. Sooooo I probably should've done that ages ago. Sorry about that.

Answering any ask I've saved to the drafts. Any ask. Please note that I don't know if the borking I've described above extends to this blog as well, so Bill won't be replying to replies or reblogs/tags. Apologies for that in advance. There are 49 posts in the drafts, and these will come out fairly slowly as I continue to keep up with my writing schedule on the other project.

Leaving this blog up as an archive. Assuming Tumblr doesn't nuke the main and the backup account that was created in an effort to avoid total nuking, and assuming Tumblr doesn't nuke this blog itself, I really want to leave this up so you can enjoy this pretty much forever onward. You all are the reason why this blog has gone on for so long, and I want to preserve this blog as a thank you for following me for so long.

So yes, after I clear the drafts, you'll likely see one last farewell from Bill and Lanette, and then that will be that. To everyone who's followed, thank you so much for following and supporting this blog over the years. As many ups and downs as running this had, I still look back on every moment as one fun adventure.

So thank you, and take care.}

#from the mun #odd questions

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amuseoffyre · 3 months ago

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The Lighting and Colour of Calypso's Birthday

Ended up doing a slightly large rambling thread over on bsky about the use of lighting and colour in Calypso's birthday, so I'll bring it over here to inflict it on you as well :D

The lighting is so important and so reflective of what's happening. Lemme take a minute to yell about it because when I was watching it back, I was flailing in so many directions and we know the choices were deliberately made because bts folks have mentioned it.

Take a look at the start of the party and the colours that are on display and look at the colour-grading for all of the people at the party. Specifically, you'll see that a lot of the lighting is warm-hued, with reds and golds showing in the skin highlights.

Warmth and joy and brightness.

But I also rly rly need to take a moment for the specific lighting on Ed and Stede in this moment. They're both finding their feet together, finding their balance, but the colours here? Hark back to their subconscious minds attacked them: Stede's fever in 1x4 and Ed's gravy basket in 2x3:

This episode began with Ed having a wobble, fearing "a storm's coming but I just can't see it", so the underlying unsettled vibe is already there for him. And as much as Stede wants to act like he has it all together, he has so much bottled up and suppressed and ready to explode unexpectedly.

So the lighting reflect an element of their fears that is still there, even if they're both acting like all is well. And then… aaaaaa! Ned Low attacks and the warmest colours, the reds, oranges, purples and pinks are gone.

With only yellow, greens and cool blues, the entire tone and vibe changes.

Green colour grading, especially tinted with with yellows and blues, is often used in media to represent villains and invoke a sense of trepidation or unease. Perfect examples of this are the hyenas marching in TLK, the Big Bads in the Ghostbusters films, when Neo is inside the Matrix:

So we've gone from a party that was all the colours of the rainbow to a space with sickly green lighting with cold tints through it. It's a visual cue our brains have had pointed at us for years and it gives the ship a deeply unsettling vibe, especially with Ned's reflective silvery colour palette.

Not to mention the fact Ned's entrance is lit by a green lantern. Green as a villain code is common, but also there's other colour symbolism happening here. Green is infamously the colour of envy and Ned is the embodiment of the green-eyed monster, come because someone took what he claimed as his.

Hell, even the way they colour-grade Ned in the cabin is subtly different from Ed and Stede. Those two still have a red undertone to their lighting, a warmth, but like Ned's outfit and hair, there's a coldness to the candlelight on his face.

All three are lit by flame/candles and yet different.

Even in a frame when all three are together, there's a kind of greyness to Ned's hue. Not massively, not something obvious, but enough to make him look just a bit uncanny next to two people with the flush of vitality. It fits with the vibe that he is rotting from the inside out.

And back out with the crew, it's still all yellow and green lighting but I especially love the cut to the moment when Ned is torturing Ed and the main colour there. We've seen Ed tinted in that colour before, only that time, he was torturing himself. Only this time, overlaid with sickly yellow.

But oh, what's this? A single red lantern has survived. And it's the one illuminating Stede when he's tied to the mast. One again, our man's lit in the colour that he was lit in during his trauma fever dream/mini-basket. His fears are being realised, just as they were then.

The fact that both Ed and Stede are lit in their trauma-nightmare colours is tasty enough, but then you add in the fact that there is also a shade of yellow overlaying both of them? Nom nom nom because yellow has form and history in the show, from all the way back in episode 1 of season 1.

Yellow is the colour of Stede's battle jacket that he wraps himself in when he has a panic attack. Ed wrap himself in it too. It's the colour of the pillow fort. It's the blanket Ed hides under at Anne and Mary's. It's the colour they surround themselves with when distressed.

Brief interlude to appreciate the sheer aesthetic frostiness of Ned :D Look at how they've lit and matched every bit of him so he's as fake and shiny as his silver painted suit and violin. All on the surface. All shimmer, no substance.

Am feeling things about this shot with the line "killing in cold blood, you can't come back from that". Man's all lit up in yellow while Ned cheerfully pokes at his fears and makes him doubt himself again, even more. He's never been good enough his whole life. What if he's not good enough now?

And the second Stede kills Ned, the lighting on Ed switches pretty much instantly from mostly blue shades to shades of yellow all over his face. Like Stede, Ed believes he ruins people and because of his actions, he's the one who brought Ned down on them and now, Stede has killed because of it.

Shout out to this shot for the juxtaposition of the yellow and blue.

And then Stede, in shock, having flashbacks to his worst day ever ("this is what a man's work looks like"), ends up shaded in yellow and green as he retreats to hide as he always does when he's upset. Scared and feeling sick 😭

There's probably more, but I am cold and sleepy and have work to get done.

But safe to say they do so much subtextual story telling purely through the lighting and I adore it ��

#ofmd #ofmd meta #colour theory #yes I went there :D

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muthaz-rapapa · 2 months ago

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@dawnlovesham You were right! The Tokyo branch had a total makeover! 😲✨

IIRC, the store for the Pretty series used to be next to them but Prism Stone (I had to look up the name, I don’t follow this series) moved to the spot across from where the Pokécenter used to be and the Pokécenter got bumped up to a bigger space on the first floor, too.

So yea, a bunch of stores got rearranged and Precure’s just expanded one spot over.

It’s a good change. Inside is a lot brighter now and they have more room to accomodate customers, which they’ll need since new merch releases require reservations and with it being Tokyo’s branch and all, they’ll no doubt be seeing A LOT of traffic 😅

The goods aren’t as clustered together as well but I’ll have to admit I’m going to miss the warm vibe the old store layout gave. Every corner of it was covered with Precure, even merch from past seasons but now it’s just the currently airing one and a few All Stars lines.

Not complaining, though. They finally have space for a changing room so kids can dress up in Precure costumes to take photos. I saw a mother bring her daughter there and the little girl looked so happy to be wearing Cure Lillian’s outfit!

Which of course made me SUPER happy because omg, what a heartwarming memory mother and daughter will have of this day 🥹 andandand it’s LILLIAN she chose to cosplay, OMGGGG!!!!! 😆💚

Out of the entire cast, Mayu and Satoru are the least favored (the rereleased seasonal goods still have lots of extras of them while Komugi, Iroha and Yuki are sold out) so I always get ecstatic whenever I see someone show the less popular characters some love ☺️

Anyways, moving along, this was also my first time seeing the Pretty Holic products up close and they’re so cute?! 😍

I wonder how good they are as cosmetics, though. But I guess if they got the approval to sell these to little girls, it shouldn’t be bad or anything.

The henshin items were there too (and lots of Niko-sama) but they seem kinda big in the photo?? Lol, I dunno, I didn’t stay here too long cuz there wasn’t anything I wanted to buy…

Until my flight home got delayed by several hours (AND THEN SOME 😩) so that gave me enough time to head out to Tokyo once more on Friday. The twin keychains had a sudden one-day limited in store restock so I was able to get the pairs I didn’t have, yay! 😆

I’m glad I decided to buy them while I was still there. When I arrived home and checked the online store, these were already completely sold out! 😳 and they seemed to still have a lot in store so I wonder if it’s a case of not being able to correctly predict demands to meet them…

…well, lucky me, I guess 😊

when I find time later, I’ll take photos of my whole Precure collection so far and post it on bsky

#lol inugumi is slightly bigger than usagigumi #Which is amusing cuz Komugi and Daifuku are practically the same size in the show so Iroha and Satoru should be too #But he’s smaller than her as an animal while bigger than her as a human 😂#aiyyyyy kawaiiii~ 🥰#precure #merch #wonderful precure

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synthwavecryptid · 1 month ago

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twenty? try one hundred hugs!! one hundred hugs for lifeline!! ur so right he needs to be aggressively taken care of. going a bit insane on li seemingly never reaching a breaking point and then someone starts taking care of him and gives him a safe place and suddenly one death undoes him as he falls apart in those arms holding him close...

also also. i need storytime!! how did lifeline get his name? what were the circumstances? have you thought about it yet?

ALSO HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

imagine lifeline working through the day and not resting even though many troopers are taking part in some festivities bc he has a patient to take care of, but the patient is sleeping - but li refuses to stop checking, trying to see if there's anything that could help improve the trooper's condition (let's say a major injury, and the trooper's now on a morphine-induced sleep. they're barely holding on). and THEN. someone enters the medbay. "li, come on. you've done all you can. rest for a bit." hands on li's shoulders, one of them coming up to his neck, feeling the tension in li's muscles. carefully cupping his cheek, leading him to a keldabe kiss. feeling li tense still, until he lets out a breath and his body relaxes under the touch of another. "i can't". li whispers it with his eyes closed, taking the comfort for one fucking second. "captain's orders." a soft exhale. almost a tired chuckle. "bastard." they embrace tenderly. just for a minute. "i can't." he repeats. a hand gripping li's neck tightly. "okay." resigned, but also - determined. "okay." defeated. "i'll stay with you, then."

like. what if, u know. i have no idea who you wanna ship him with or if it's a completely qp arrangement or if they're just vode or what else. but. please someone needs to be tender with him ;;

i am sorry your oc has taken over my brain. literally fell in love with lifeline i am now attached. my feelings were compromised. i may also be hungover. maybe still a bit drunk. wow i do love lifeline. sorry. tell me off if i'm like. bothering u idk. lifeline my beloved

anyways i hope things go well at bsky for you!! may you feel free to also rant on here. i am Old i do not know more than this hellish website. i tried truly but anything else gives me the hives ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

HAPPY 2025 MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING YOU HAPPINESS HEALTH AND LOTS OF MOTIVATION TO DRAW YOUR OCS!! may it also continue giving you clone brainrot pls & thank you

AAAA HAPPY NEW YEar I’M SO SORRY ON THE ANSWER DELAY ON THIS ONE omg but pls never apologize for going bananas bonkers over my boys, it’s so so sweet and flattering and I’m delighted by it

Li deserves all the nice things honestly, if only he’d let himself have them for longer than fiVE FUCKIN MINUTES!!

Also regarding his name, he was actually a bit late to the name party and didn’t get one until after his assignment posting. I’ll put it under a cut because oops it got long and oops it’s also a little gruesome

He was always meant for the medic track, and was trained specifically for emergency and trauma surgery because of his focused nature and ability to keep calm under extreme duress. A few back-to-back campaigns in, he was already known for pulling off a few impressive saves, but names just weren’t sticking to him. Miracle and Quiet came the closest, but didn’t entirely fit. He actually continuously shot down Miracle himself, as he felt it set an impossible precedence; he’s not divine, just a man devoted to his calling and to doing right by his vode.

But a particularly brutal campaign saw him promoted and deployed planetside early in the push to replace one of the field medics when he was KIA.

Our boy continued to pull off incredible—sometimes borderline impossible—saves, pulling the lucky ones back from the brink of death and soothing the unlucky ones too far gone. Few vode move quite as fast as him when he’s being hailed for a man down.

The most marked instance was during the retreat, when he refused to leave a brother behind despite being damn near bisected by a bomb. With the assistance of two others and some scrap as a makeshift gurney, he held the vod’s intestines in with his own hands and talked to him the entire time to mitigate shock. He didn’t leave that vod’s side all the way through transport back to the venator, to med bay, to anesthesia. He performed the surgery himself, supervised the bacta tank dunk, and was there when the vod—one of the battalion’s captains—woke up again. When asked if he’d worked so hard for a save because of rank, he said, “Respectfully, no, sir. I would have done the same for a trooper. Each life is important to me.”

Which lead the captain to laugh (and wince) and reply, “Not as important as you are to us. Our very own life-line whenever death calls.”

And our medic, exhausted from nearly 72 hours awake and still managing a sweet little smile, humble and pleased, “I quite like being a life-line, sir.”

And thus, Li got his name 😌

(This also carried over to when he started taking up mortician duties on the ship, because he couldn’t abide his fellow vode being treated like broken equipment. He wanted them to be treated with care, respect, and dignity even in death. To do right by them, even if he couldn’t save them. Perhaps especially if he couldn’t save them. He’s the life line that keeps them tethered to the world, and the last line of life to let them go.)

#ask a cryptid #MY ANGEL IN THE MORGUE #he can compartmentalize fairly well like any good medic but he still holds each loss in his bottomless heart #compassion for the ages with a ancient sadness to match #the kind of sadness you only see on church angels and graveyard statues

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fereldanwench · 6 days ago

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just an assortment of unorganized and definitely not fully-developed opinions on the bioware layoffs/presumed 'end' of dragon age

to get the obvious out of the way: fuck ea and bioware for treating their senior staff this way. all of their staff, really, but it's just especially egregious to me to sack people who've dedicated upwards of a quarter of century to this company. i think one veteran said they were there for 26 years? you have to be a really dumb, heartless piece of shit to look at someone with that kind of commitment and think they're expendable in your fancy new more ~*agile*~ team

i wonder how many, if any, vets were offered an opportunity to move into another division of BW/EA, and just decided to jump off the sinking ship instead. everyone's obviously been very careful with their wording on their social media so this is pure speculation, but i guess i just hope some suit out there would at least try to somewhat accommodate their senior staff before just kicking them out the door

i've also been finding myself extra Curious about this part of busche's bsky post (i refuse to call them skeets, figure out something better lmao) back when she announced her departure

and again, all i have is pure speculation on this front--maybe she really didn't know what else was happening, maybe she was "encouraged" by EA/BW to toe the line, who knows--but i will say that i took her at her word on this and assumed that 18 years with bioware + the hellacious dev cycle of veilguard left her wanting something new, which is completely reasonable

now i feel like a straight sucker for taking that at face value lmao

the rest of my thoughts right now are very muddled and conflicted and wavering. none of this should be taken as a hard stance on anything, just various thoughts that have popped into my head as more info comes out

trick was the first layoff post i saw, and while i felt for them on a personal level, on a creative-level, i was honestly never a huge fan of what they brought to DA. I've said it a million times, but I'm not a solas girlie, and i was always a little disappointed at how he overtook the big lore stuff in inquisition; my hype for da4 was probably at its lowest when it was still in the "dreadwolf" phase bc of that

i dont think any of that was worth fucking firing them for, but i did have a blip, if you will, of 'well, maybe the silver lining here is someone else could bring the series away from the solas/big-elvhen-lore-centric stuff and my interest will be piqued again'

but to be very clear, that was immediately overshadowed by seeing the scale of these layoffs

and then there's sheryl chee's post about DA not being dead because it belongs to the fans now

it's a lovely if not bittersweet sentiment, but this also just made me have more questions. do we take that as an official confirmation that there will be no more DA games??? does she have the authority to confirm that??? I'm just still not really clear on DA's future. and not out of some misguided optimism, because it ending seems very plausible, just that i want some proper, official statement from BW/EA if that is the case

plus, i think EA selling the IP also seems like a possibility. it wouldn't be the first time a previously successful series underperforms ("underperforms" if you prefer) and gets picked up by a new studio/pub--i've watched tomb raider change hands like half a dozen times over the decades. larian seems to be the one most people are clamoring for, but there are definitely plenty of studios that also trade in the stuff that made DA Good(tm)

(although if i can have a moment of snark: I've seen a few comments like 'i hope the BW devs get to go to A Good Company now, like larian or cdpr' and like babes. the cdpr one really killed me bc are we just forgetting everything that came out in 2020-2021??? like I'm sure things have improved but company culture doesn't change overnight, and a lot of this shit is systemic to the industry. pls don't put studios on a pedestal just bc they made your favorite game)

and i think the last thing that's been swirling around in my brain is if veilguard is the last DA game, or even if it's the last BW DA game, what that means to me on a personal level

my unfettered passion for DA started waning around 2017 after about 5-6 years, and i think the spell was completely broken when CP77 moved in around mid-2021. to be clear, i still like the series--DA2 especially will always have a grip on me--but i didn't have nearly as much emotional investment in the series when veilguard dropped as i did when inquisition dropped

and i think that kind of protected me from feeling too strongly about veilguard one way or the other, which subsequently allowed me to find stuff to enjoy in it without getting too swept in the stuff i don't like. well, that, and i also had very low expectations between knowing that it was in dev hell and being a solas hater (although i liked him more in veilguard). but i think if i had been in the same headspace that i was in 2014 when inquisition dropped, i would have been incredibly disappointed by veilguard, and felt like the series was ending on a low note

and i think there's a tiny part of my old DA hyperfixation that still kind of feels that way. i don't think veilguard is a bad game, but it definitely isn't the finale i think the series deserves either, and that does make me a little sad

so yeah. idk. the folks who made the games are the most important part of the story, ofc, and i really hope they're able to land on their feet and get some kind of justice for the way they've been treated

#t: wench.txt #s: dragon age

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morocosmos · 2 months ago

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Fanfic writer wrapped: 1 What fic did you work on the most this year?

3. How many fics did you work on this year?

6. Do you have a favourite fic you wrote?

7. What’s your favourite passage that you wrote this year?

Fanfic Writer Wrapped

1. What fic did you work on the most this year?

I've answered this one here, but the short answer is that it's a toss up between my two longest fics from this year.

3. How many fics did you work on this year?

I counted this last week for another fanfic prompt on bsky (with some miscalculations lol), as of now the latest tally is 13 posted fics, 26 other (mostly much shorter) fics for ffxivwrite, and at least 7 unposted and/or WIP fics. so 46 in total, most of which were written in september.

6. Do you have a favourite fic you wrote?

...I feel like i've shilled it a fair bit already, but i do love how 'to sail your seas' turned out. the thing about writing an oc for an ongoing MMORPG is that his story keeps going and keeps getting iterated on, whether in canon or in AUs. which brings me great joy, but it was also nice to work on and finish a standalone story where i had brainrot over two characters for 6 months and they got to bow out with their happy ending.

1st answer | 2nd answer

7. What's your favourite passage that you wrote this year?

Answered here~ (warning for suggestive writing but nothing explicit)

#answered #fanfic writer wrapped #asirensrage #thank you for the prompts! both writing and sending them

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happy-tori-friends · 4 months ago

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TWITTER MUSINGS - AGAIN

trying to cut back on twt and maybe move musings to here and to bsky... this features one stupid post from bsky too

i need to start posting notices when i update like ppl wanted kjfdjkdfjkf this happened with bw too, i did it and then i started to forget.

some of these may have been confessed to treetownconfessions at the same time. hi i'm nemmy.

Winter

lifty and shifty push their beds together and huddle for warmth during the nights when the heat in their apartment doesnt work. it doesnt help much. when they move in with splendont, they learn that he has a lot of body heat and with the house being heated and them sleeping with one of them on each side of him, their heads on his chest and cuddled close, they have their first comfortable winter night in years. warm. safe. secure. happy.

Sanguine Thoughts

thinking about vampire oneshot 4 halloween and how lifty and shifty eat a lot of meat and makes their blood rich in iron... waht if that makes it extra yummy for splendont + blood drinking seen as an act of intimacy...

i really like vampires.

+ woozy lifty and/or shifty leaning up against splendont after being drinken from, him making them eat afterwards... i have a lot of thoughts...

i wanna write lifty getting comforted and loved by splendont despite all his insecurities and issues.

i would also like to write all that but [REDACTED]

Warrior Cats

my version of lifty and shifty shouldnt have been forced to steal to survive at 11 years old they should have been reading warrior cats like the rest of us autistic kids

lifty and shifty arguing over who gets to be firestar in their warrior cats larping session. shady, watching them, thinks 'who tf is firestar'

they make him read warrior cats to them before bed and one day he says 'yknow boys *i* should be firestar. i'm your dad' and shifty says 'no way, youre too old you can be purdy!' shady, at most 31 (he and jewel had them between 18-20, pretty young): THE OLD GUY?!

in bed that night 'jewel... i'm not as young as i used to be... i'm an elder now...' jewel pats him and says 'its olay honey theyre kids. their perception of being old is different bc theyre young' 'MY BONES ARE ACHING JEWEL... I NEED THE YOUNGINS TO TAKE CARE OF ME AND BRING FOOD AND GET RID OF THE TICKS'

jewel laughs. 'shady, you're taking this larping business to seriously. go to bed.'

they would assign jewel ferncloud btw

Game

had an idea in my head for the htf chatfic involving a video game but then i pivoted to a different video game (cuphead) but i think the original video game was also hard but IDR WHAT IT WAS AND IM ANGRY ABOUT IT unless it was always cuphead and there was no first game

(i still dont remember)

Donut Earirngs

nutty would go wild for those donut earrings in the new moogle event. notoyo matoyo the 27 year old lalafell will be wearing them whether he likes it or not

i have no idea what notoyo looks like but he probably looks silly. nutty created him with love.

Disorganized

shifty has the energy of that kid taht just shoved all their school shit into their backpack. no folders. so naturally he did the same with his very important tranaformation trinket and has to spend forever digging the watch and crystal out while a monster causes mayhem.

Lifty :D

i love you lifty! yay! your my favorite :D *projects onto him and hos brother and gives him A Lot of Issues.*

Animal Crossing

splendont buys the twins animal crissing new horizons alongsuse switches. he asks them about it. lifty has played the game normally. shifty has not paid the first nook miles debt and has focused entirely on making money.

"you know theres more game if you pay the debt, right?" asks splendont

"there's what" shifty replies, astonished

"you didnt notice me doing more with my game?" lifty asks.

shifty did not for he was too focused on making bells

they co op and splendont and lifty try to give each other tours of their islands but shifty keeps hitting them and the villagers with nets or axes.

Back At The BBQ Musings

lifty who hopes to make a good impression at the very first group gathering he's ever really been into vs food gremlin shifty who eats so much meat he passes the fuck out

YouTuber Shifty

*unregistered hypercam 2, the most laggy and low quality footage ever. the Worst mic quality.*

shifty: hey guys welcome back to my channel today i will be playing minecraft.

*five seconds of footage*

shifty: thanks for watching, part 2 if we get 10 ppl in the $500,000 tier on my patreon

when this doesnt work he starts a content farm or a malicious prank channel

Mother 3

i had this thought when i first concepted their backstory bc i had a very brief earthbound + mother 3 phase but splendont and the twins finish earthbound and he tells them that he hasn't played mother 3 but hes heard good things about and they play the fan translation.

'oh huh they're twins. haha lets name the characters after our family!" says lifty, naming lucas after himself, klaus after shifty, hinawa after their dead mom, and flint after their father who was very much impacted by the death of their mother

35 or so hours of gameplay later, the emotional damage levels are out of this fucking world.

The Worst Sims 4 Save (cq for. vague nsfw mentions)

the other day i made splendont and the twins (and splendid) in the sims 4 with wicked whims installed and also plopped down an old shizaya household i made and had shifty go visit them. he stole 3 things, did not not hit it off great with izaya (but found them both attractive) and then proceeded to mess around on their tablet while they got freaky. shizuo THEN proceeded to start a fire on the grill only for shifty to put it out. then he went home.

shifty also liked to kick the trash can when he got angry (i gave him the hot headed trait) and bc lifty and splendont kept getting playful (listen i ran out of ideas - i gave lifty a custom traits that gave him a constant sad moodlet and another negative one so i replaced that with playful and i gave splendont one that made him playful around his loved ones) so they kept fucking playing in the trash. they were also insatiable (to be fair i had it turned on high a while for the hell of it and was constantly running romantic actions to try and fix relationship satisfaction) but god damn. it was basically either flirty, playful (for lifty and splendont), angry (for shifty), or sad (for lifty, though he sometimes got a fine or tense moodlet). i ended up stopping playing the save file bc it was too hard trying to balance two romantic satisfaction bars and making them stop getting freaky to go to work (shifty was unemployed but dont and lifty had jobs) even tho i was using cheats

getting freaky doesnt really help the satisfaction btw and it just interrupted a lot of my flirting actions so having it on high didnt really work the way i was hoping

Shifty's Hobby

splendont: yknow your brother likes to bowl and do mechanical stuff, or just... make things. like cooking or using his hands or being creative. he plays video games too but do you have hobbies? dont say stealing things. shifty: of course i have fucking hobbies! i... play games +

too sometimes! splendont, snorting: anything else? shifty: of course! what do you take me for? i... i... *cut to shifty with his head in his hands and splendont patting his back* splendont: we'll find you something you like doing, i'm sure.

his hobbies are hating splendid, being annoying (especially towards lifty bc. siblings), and causing problems /j

Surgery (from BSKY!!!)

stupid idea that makes like no sense but popped into my head: fliqpy holding a knife with the text caption of 'giving my boyfriend the surgery he needs! (i dont have a medical license ^_^)' in the background, splendid is laying in a bed with a terrified expression

the ^_^ is super necessary bc it makes it feel so much funnier

FFXIV AU Starting Guilds

whats arguably funny about the twins quitting their starting guilds is that

1. the lvl 15 archer quest is when silvaire stops trying to get the wol expelled from the guild and just doesnt want to really show he accepts their skill. shifty still throws a tantrum n breaks the bow and quits.

2. the level 15 pugilist quest is when hamom reveals he isnt as good as he used to be bc hes old and chuchuto asks the wol to help him regain his passion. and then lifty has to awkwardly tell her that this is Not for him.

FFXIV AU: The Office

splendont looking off to the side like theres a camera and he's on the office after having his first echo vision: i miss my boyfriends chat. i miss them a lot.

y'shtola: *thinking* who the hell is he talking to?

*A FEW EXPANSIONS LATER*

splendont, doing the same thing while also dying of light poisoning: i miss my boyfriends chat

(said boyfriends are mad at him for getting light poisoning and off trying to find a cure)

ardbert: ...do you perhaps mean... me?

FFXIV AU: Gravity

ffxiv au lifty tries to calm down his nerves after getting to mare lamentorum by doing a little jump and then spends a good 5 minutes having a crisis bc it does not have low gravity.

FFXIV AU: Balmung

prequel tweet: i have a really stupid ffxiv au joke to make but it hinges specifically on knowledge that balmung is the sex rp world/server and also me making a random excuse for game mechanics via the aetheryte to be plausible in the isekai setting

*ul'dah aetheryte plaza*

lifty: huh... i think you can travel to different worlds with this thing. ...balmung? i'm gonna go there.

*five minutes later, he teleports back in*

lifty, horrified: Do Not Go To Balmung

shifty: lmao loser it can't be that bad.

*another 5 minutes later*

shifty: Do Not Go To Balmung

splendont: i'm sure it's fine. *another five minutes later*

splendont: ah. nope. Do Not Go To Balmung.

bright volcano: ...huh?

shifty: wait. wait hear me out lets go to balmung... Together.

*an hour passes before they return, disheveled*

splendont: balmung's pretty neat actually

lifty: agreed shifty: fr

bright lava: What The Hell Happened In Balmung

splendont: for us to know and you to not.

im from balmung btw im allowed to make this joke.

Bad HTF x FFXIV Tweets Based On Focus Expansions

got accused of assassinating the sultana bc i picked up a cool bottle and then got dragged into fighting dragons and defeating some old ruler guy! hashtag just lifty things!!!

decided to help free this nation from the empire's rule but we fucked up and now we went to free another country from the same empire and somehow a failef assassination attempt on the empire's prince turned into him being obsessed with fighting me! hashtag just shifty things!!!

got called to another dimension in the world im isekai'd into to stop eternal day by killing light monsters and absorbing the light but it was too much for my body and i almost became a giant world destroying light monster and terrified my bfs! hashtag just splendont things!!!

(the realest thing was after it i just tweeted'this is stupid as a reply. bc it is')

FFXIV AU: WORQOR ZORMOR - The Healer Conundrum

OG THREAD + A BONUS: bad ffxiv au: shifty says something snarky and then gets tankbusted (he is Not a tank)

badder idea: shifty says hell no to healer alisae and instead gives lifty a book and a soul crystal and says 'here you heal'

'how tf did you get this' asks everyone. 'stole it how else,' he responds.

cut to lifty panicking bc he doesn't know how to do SHIT.

lifty staring at the fairy 'please help me we are dying'. the fairy is also confused.

pov: your name is shifty. you, your twin brother, and your shared boyfriend have all been isekai'd into the critically acclaimed mmorpg final fantasy xiv. youve been through a lot of shit and now youre on a journey to help someone claim the throne. you need to climb a mountain which is a dungeon. but the only healer in your group is staying behind. his sister, a red mage, offers to heal for you. she has a healing spell and a revival spell in her kit. you get along well, you even consider her a friend, but she always takes the limit break when it's available and you dont really trust her as a healer. you also stole a soul crystal and weapon for a healing class at some point just because, but you think being healer would be lame and your boyfriend is way too cool to be a healer. all things considered your group technically isnt playing by the games rules considering you have two tanks and normally 4 dps and one healer, but youre down a healer. krile is happy as a pictomancer, and you think having two tanks is really funny so wuk lamat is off the hook. that leaves alisae, aka the red mage who offered to heal, and your brother lifty, a machinist. he has never been a healer, let alone a disciple of magic. do you trust alisae or do you force your brother who has really never casted a spell in his life and has no idea how to be a scholar?

FFXIV AU: Bee My Honey

honey b lovely: what? why isn't your heart pounding! why aren't you charmed by me?

lifty, a homosexual: Men

FFXIV AU: G'raha Tia

bad ffxiv au idea. g'raha thinks he has a chance w one of the twins bc he knows splendont is dating one of them but he doesn't know which. what he doesn't know is that its both. its a v poly. hes dating them both. what he ALSO doesnt know is that he has a cute lizard gf in an alternative universe. and in many other universes, other partners. he is beloved.

krile: what's wrong raha?

g'raha: i thought one of the warriors of light was single bc two of them are twins but it turns out theyre both dating the other warrior of light and he's a hinge apparently.

krile: ...you didnt know?

g'raha: .

(THIS IS TOTALLY PROBABLY OOC BY THE WAY DONT TAKE THIS SERIOISLY)

FFXIV AU: Shaaloni

5 seconds after entering shaaloani

shifty: alright pinhead, your time is up!

lifty: im not fucking doing the bit.

erenville: ???

splendont, with all the love and adoration he feels for the two in his eyes: dont question it man, he's just screwing around.

#tori talks #magical warrior au #ffxiv au 💡

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santapau · 5 months ago

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The Secret Knots master post, August 2024

I'm Juan Santapau (he/him), and I make these short stories in comic form called The Secret Knots. I live in Chile. Hi.

The full web archive of past and present stories is here: The Secret Knots.

On Patreon, you get extra stuff about every comic, like world building concepts, sketches and more, and may also ask for thematic portraits. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Newsletter. I send reminders about new stories, and some sketches over here. It’s sporadic, so it won't clutter your email.

If you want to read The Secret Knots via app, I post comics from the archives on:

Webtoon // Tapas // Globalcomix

There’s an Instagram account. And a Bsky. And here’s an invitation to the Secret Knots Discord, a community server that always brings nice recommendations, and regular sightings of the weird in the world.

#the secret knots #webcomic #webtoon #tapas

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ofmdrecaps · 3 months ago

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11/17-18/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Minnie Driver; Dominic Burgess; Anapela Polata'ivao; Brian Gattas & Connor Barrett; Nat Torress; Articles; Transgender Awarness Week; Last Chance for OFMD Buys Boats!!; Fan Spotlight: Frames for the New Unicorn; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Love Notes;

Hey crew! Sorry it's been a bit of a week over here between work and home stuff so I'm always like 4 days behind. I'm trying to catch up and will when I can. For now, here's a big ol pile of news!

= Rhys Darby =

Well as you can probably tell Rhys is super busy at the moment! Two interviews today! Now that's overkill! You're a lunatic and I love it!

youtube

More show dates!

Aotearoa dates!

WGN - 27 MAR, Opera House

CHC - 29 Mar, Isaac Theatre Royal

AKL - 3-4 APR, Bruce Mason Centre

You can get tickets on Rhysdarby.com w/password ROBOT

for UK / Ireland Tickets:

Order tickets on Mickperrin.com w/password RDPRIORITY24

Source: Rhys' Instagram

More Daily Doodles!

Sad news Daily Doodle Fans:

Source: Rhys Darby's Free Substack

= Taika Waititi =

More Interior Chinatown interviews!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Movie Podcast (@themoviepodcast)

instagram

Source: TheMoviePodcast Instagram

Source: Coastal House Media

= Con O'Neill =

PSA from Con on Bsky!

Source: Con O'Neill's bsky

= Samba Schutte =

Samba attended the Hell Hath No Fury Premiere!!

Source: Samba's Instagram Stories

= Minnie Driver =

Happy 6th anniversary to Minnie and Addison (Nov 17th!)

Source: Minnie Driver Instagram

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico is on Bluesky!

Source: Vico's Bluesky (Special thanks to Chloe, aka gheyandwoke for bringing it to my attention! It's also Vico and Ane's 3 year anniversary! Congrats you two <3

Source: Vico's Instagram

More news for Vico-- they will be performing in “Tales of the Transcestors: The Divine” in the Greenway Court Theatre in CA! "Tales of the Transcestors: The Divine is a must-see World Premiere that reimagines folklore, mythologies, and spiritual guides across time and cultures. Through three interwoven stories rooted in Native Hawaiian tradition (Kapaemahu), Islamic mysticism (djinn), and spiritual alchemy (the Rebis), the production unearths personal and cultural histories to reclaim trans wisdom, healing, power, and joy. Tales of the Transcestors: The Divine captures the tension between inherited memory and lived experience, building a portal for audiences to enter a "world between worlds"—where lineage, desire, time, and space are fluid and ever-shifting."

Show Dates and Times:

Thursday December 12th - Doors: 7:30pm, Show 8pm.

Friday December 13th - Doors: 7:30pm, Show 8pm

Saturday December 14th - Doors: 2:30pm, Show 3pm - *ASL Interpreted* Show followed by Talkback

Saturday December 14th - Doors: 7:30pm, Show 8pm

Ticket information

Source: Celebrationthtr and Vico's Instagram Stories

= Anapela Polata'ivao =

Official Tinā poster is up!

Source: Tinā Film Instagram

= Brian Gattas & Connor Barrett =

I am feeling like a goober but I forgot the context of where our Hornberry and Siegfried were at! If you happen to know please let me know-- getting to see Mr. Barrett dance though really made my day!

Source: Brian Gattas Instagram Stories

= Nat Torres =

Nat once again keeping us fed with the adorable pup content.

Source: Nat Torres Instagram

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic doesn't just collect kitties, he collects physical media as well! He was kind enough to share some of it with us! (I'm a physical media hoarder so I was excited).

Source: Dominic's Bluesky

== Articles ==

Thank you so @adoptourcrew for sharing this article from The Geekiary!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Transgender Awareness Week ==

The fabulous These/Thems have shared a very instructional video with out bestie Vico on the differences between cis, genderqueer and trans! Check it out below!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by THESE THEMS Queer TV (@these_thems)

instagram

Source: These Thems Instagram

== Tiny Crew Big Raffle ==

More updates from OFMD Buys Boats! The raffle closes 23:59 Thursday 21st November 2024 (GMT)! So if you want to donate and enter for the raffle remember to get to it right away!

How to Enter

Source: OFMD Buys Boats Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Frames For The New Unicorn =

This beautiful collaboration by so many of our crewmates is finally up! Check out this beautiful dedication to Izzy and Con O'Neill! To learn more about the project, see the individual frames and who made them, please check out their linktr.ee!

youtube

Source: So Many Places, going with the Youtube Channel

= Other Frames Projects =

I'm waiting on permission to share.. but there's another frames project in the works! This time the moonlight scene! If you'd like to learn more you can go to Ram's Bsky Does anyone know of any other frames projects going on? I would absolutely LOVE to see something for like Oluwande, or Lucius, or Jim, or Spanish Jackie! I'm just curious if I'm missing some!

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

New episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction-- and it's the #AssTonight episode! An "Oral history" (tee hee). Oh and Alex Sherman shared it on Bluesky!

Source: Our Flag Means FanFiction Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. This week has already somehow been pretty crazytown on my end, how bout yours?

I know a lot of you are going through it. I am so sorry it's so hard. This is just a gentle reminder that you are allowed to be upset, and you are allowed to be stressed or depressed. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, and it's okay to not be okay for a while. Please just remember that even when the darkest days are here, there is ALWAYS some light. Find some things that bring small bits of light to your life-- maybe a walk, or a special treat, a hug from a friend on or offline, or taking a moment out of your day to give someone a compliment -- whatever it is that brings that dopamine to your brain. Little things help train our brain to know that good things CAN happen, so exposing yourself to those little things day by day can help build what's sort of like a good things muscle. As more and more happen, the rough times become easier to tolerate because they are sprinkled with good things.

You are so very strong, and I know you can get through whatever you are going through. I know you don't feel like it, but you are, even when you feel your lowest. I believe in you, the crew believes in you, even if we've never spoken, we want you to be okay, okay?

Please take care of yourselves lovely, you make the world a better place by being here <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @thelatestkate

instagram

Source: The Latest Kate's Instagram

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yerbamansa · 3 months ago

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Secret Bonus Treehouse Scene (Rated E)

Originally posted on bsky and probably not getting attached to either of the series fics on ao3, but just for funsies. Set somewhere between the original and the sequel. Ed decides he needs to give Stede a blowjob in the crow's nest of his treehouse and it becomes a Thing.

The first time it happened because Ed just couldn’t get over the look of awe on Stede’s face.

“The view from here really is incredible,” Stede said, gazing out through the evergreens to watch the sun sink into the vanishing horizon above the ocean. An orange-pink glow hit his face and reflected off his glasses, and Ed almost wanted to kiss him about it, but then he’d lose the light.

So he dropped to his knees instead.

“Edward!” Stede hissed as Ed tugged on his zipper. “We’re so… exposed!”

“Who’s looking up here?” Ed asked. He nuzzled his face in Stede’s crotch, breathing in the scent of him, better even than the sea air and the trees.

“Oh, fuck,” Stede whimpered. ��But this—it’s not safe! There’s no railing, you could—hnnnggh—you could fall!”

“Won’t fall, mate,” he said, yanking down Stede’s briefs and pressing him firmly against the tree trunk in the center of the (okay, yes, admittedly small) crow’s nest platform. Stede’s dick was half-hard, which made sense. This was maybe a bit out of nowhere. Kinda. Ed grinned. “Seriously. This OK?”

Stede stared down at him, mouth open, turning a bit of that awe Ed’s way. He nodded.

“‘K. Keep watching the sunset, yeah?” Ed wrapped a hand around Stede’s cock and lapped at the head, just a taste, just to feel Stede get harder from his touch. “Tell me all about it.”

There was a little yelp and a moan from above as he took Stede’s cock into his mouth. Ed felt Stede lean slightly into the tree as his cock grew heavy on Ed’s tongue. At first, Stede’s instincts seemed to be to grip the tree bark at his hips, but when that didn’t work, he threaded his fingers through Ed’s hair—almost tentatively, like he was afraid to do it, like Ed hadn’t told him several times already that he liked it when Stede pulled his hair, so.

Ed pulled off, a thin strand of saliva still connecting them. “You can hold on to me,” he said, licking his lips when Stede dug his fingernails into his scalp just a little in response. He knew pretty well by then how to get Stede off, really loved all the little noises he made, the way his body responded to it, but up there, in the gorgeous sunset glow? Absolutely incredible.

Not to say that the impromptu crow’s nest blowjob was his best work, but he was weirdly proud of it. The spontaneity, the (slight) danger, the fresh fucking air. It didn’t take too long for Stede to get in the spirit, too. He even helpfully suggested bringing a nice water-resistant outdoor cushion up to leave on the platform after noticing the way Ed winced on the way back down the rope ladder.

“How about your back, babe? Any scrapes from the bark?” Ed asked, because thoughtfulness begat thoughtfulness, apparently.

Stede shook his head. “Actually, I kind of enjoyed it,” he admitted. “A bit like that cartoon bear, you know, the one from the song?”

“‘The Bare Necessities’?” Ed laughed. “I tried that once. Messed up my shirt a bit.”

“I’m sure it depends on the quality of the shirt,” Stede said a little primly. “An old T-shirt, for example, might not be able to withstand what this thick flannel can.”

Ed just laughed and kissed him on their way to the bedroom.

Over the following years, when the weather was right, they made a habit of it. At first, Stede was afraid he’d somehow accidentally shuffle backwards and fling himself off the treehouse, but Ed reassured him that he wouldn’t.

“Have I mentioned how much I love this view?” Ed said. And whether he meant the sight of Stede’s lips stretched around his cock or the vast Pacific Ocean, what difference did it make?

They realized they had to stop around the time that Ivan moved onto the property as they got ready to open the inn. (Cabins? Treehouse suites? They were still debating what the fuck to even call it.) They’d scrambled up to enjoy the sunset one evening, and just as soon as Stede was palming Ed’s cock through his jeans, they heard Ivan call up from the ground.

“Ahoy, cap’ns!” Ivan shouted. “Enjoying the view?”

Stede’s hand snapped back to his side as Ed giggled. “Yes, quite beautiful from up here!” Stede called down. “We should give you a tour sometime!”

“Nah, that’s all right, I’m a little afraid of heights!”

Stede frowned. “He’s afraid of heights and he chose to come work for a treehouse hotel?”

Ed cackled. “It’s a bit higher up here than the cabins, love.”

Stede raised an eyebrow, skeptical, then leaned gingerly near the rope railing. “Your loss!” he said with a wave, then seemed to wait until Ivan wandered off before returning to Ed’s side.

“God,” Stede muttered under his breath. “Even if they couldn’t see us from down there, they might hear us. You can be quite vocal, you know!”

Ed snorted. “Me?! You should hear yourself!”

Briefly Stede looked aghast, clutching a palm to his chest. “Well, I—”

“I love it, actually,” Ed said, his voice a low, seductive purr. “One more for the road?” He leaned in to kiss Stede’s throat, nipping the skin in the way that made him whimper.

“But Ivan—”

“Ivan’s gone, mate,” Ed said. Another nip, another whine. “Sun’s going down. So should you.”

Stede breathed heavily. “Ed,” he said, “That was terrible.”

“You gonna let that stop you?”

“Never,” Stede said in a hushed tone before sinking onto the cushion.

#ofmd fanfic #my stuff #treehouse boys

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kukurykunapatyku · 4 months ago

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Sometimes what you were looking for was in your pocket all along

After coming back to work after Unwound Future, Hershel discovers someone broke into his office. Together with Flora, they set on a journey to uncover this new mystery! On the way, he might just discover how strained their relationship really grew. Also on Ao3

Chapter 3 - Investigation begins

Notes:

This work is part of Layton Big Bang, so here's wonderful co-creators! The artworks were made by: Polysaurus: twitter, tumblr Angie_creations: carrd, intagram, bsky, twitter The puzzles were designed by Louise: tumblr

Something should have happened.

Flora lied to professor. Well, not lied, exactly. It wasn't lying if he didn't ask, was it?

Was she supposed to feel guilty? Everything she was taught over the years screamed yes, and yet she couldn't bring herself to.

All she had was a feeling of cold hand grabbing her insides at the mere thought of Layton stumbling upon the truth somehow. It was like that time, when mum was still around, Flora took a plate of pastry meant for the guests and ate half of it, hiding the rest in the kitchen cupboard to get rid of the evidence.

It wasn't guilt, though it could be easily mistaken for it if she was a few years younger.

The rest of the journey was almost insultingly normal. Layton tried to keep up a conversation and, surprising herself, Flora chimed in sometimes.

"What was his name? You always say 'my brother', professor. Won't it be easier if I know who to look for too?"

He scratched his head.

"That's not as easy thing to answer, I'm afraid. He has a habit of taking new names and discarding them once they outlast their purpose. I personally knew him under three, and I have no idea if he even uses any of them now." He crossed his arms. "Though I suppose if you hear something about 'Jean Descole', it's probably him."

Flora turned from the window. Bruno told her once about people choosing another name for themselves, but he probably hadn't meant using them like suits to change on a whim.

"Well, what do you call him, professor?"

Layton send her a smile, but it hadn't quite reach his eyes.

"That is something I wonder myself, dear."

This seemed to finally kill any chatting mood. Layton sunk deeper into his thoughts and Flora sunk deeper into ignoring the gnawing feeling in her chest.

Caradan welcomed them with sun and delicate breeze dancing between the flags and someone's hanged laundry. Flora stayed silent when Layton chose the motel they were going to spend the night in. "Now," he said, "I want us to stay together but if we get separated, you need to wait for me here." Then they set off into town.

It was much smaller than London. Flora was glancing around, taking in the cobblestone street, odd-looking buildings and flocks of pigeons that took flight at any slightly louder sound. It reminded her of home a bit.

As they went further towards the city center, Layton's caution seemed less and less unfounded. The crowds weren't overwhelming yet, but losing each other wasn't out of question.

They stopped near the stand selling pocket watches. Layton leaned over the rows of rhythmic ticking and asked the owner something Flora didn't hear. On the material next to the working clocks laid one dismantled, with cogs and springs displayed for all the world to see.

Flora turned away.

She let her eyes wonder, until they landed on the cafe on the other side of the street. Through the window, a group of four people caught her eye. They were laughing, but their mood wasn't what grabbed her attention; it was their clothes. It was well past he carnival, and yet each of them was dressed like they just left a party. She could see a vampire with an orange bag, a robot in a bowler hat, another person with wings and arrows and next one with what looked like a Sherlock Holmes costume? They even had a pipe! It only blew bubbles though.

Layton was still talking with the seller when they stood up and left the building, still chatting, and walked past Flora. Her eyes followed them for a bit before returning to the window. She squinted; was that a book left on the table? Maybe one of them forgot to take it with themselves. Not thinking long, Flora scurried up the stairs, the bell near the door announcing her entrance. She headed towards abandoned book, grabbed it and brought closer to her eyes.

"The body in the hill," she read the title. A mystery novel? Flora looked at the back to see the description. "While digging new garden area, Patricia discovers a disturbing sign: her recently passed away aunt, with her left hand cut off. Who did mutilate her body and hid it there? Was her death really an accident? And who's next? A puzzling story about family secrets, grudges and gardening."

Flora's brows shot up. That did sound interesting, if a bit macabre. She turned a page. She's just going to skim through the prologue...

"Are you going to order anything?"

She jerked up. Her eyes met a waiter, who impatiently tapped the pencil on his notebook. Flora felt her cheeks get warm; she was a good thirty pages in. It seemed she got too engrossed in the story... She quickly apologized and left.

Layton wasn't outside anymore. Of course. Flora sighed and looked around. She could return to the motel, or she could-

Struck with an idea, Flora reached to her bag. But before the idea could crystallize into clear thought, sudden realization stopped her in her tracks.

She still had the book. Of course she still had it. She wanted to return it, that's why she even went inside... But what now? The group could be anywhere, or worse, they could've split up by now. Should she go back to the cafe? But would they keep the book until the owner returned for it?

She wiped her palms on the dress. Somehow the book seemed to gain another pound with every minute she hesitated.

"What's wrong, applepie?"

Flora spun around, book close to her chest. She saw two older women behind her, one taller than the other, with the shorter one leaning on a cane. They were both staring are her now.

"E-Excuse me, were you talking to me?"

"Sure we were," the shorter one chirped. "What happened, dear? You look especially troubled."

"Ah." Flora clutched the book harder. "It's not really that big of a deal. It's just... going to bother me, I guess."

The ladies were still staring. Flora started sweating.

"So?" the taller one droned.

"So?" Flora echoed.

"What is your problem? You hadn't answered yet."

"Well..." She prayed the book away from her chest. "There was a group of people in the cafe, and one of them left this book here. It's a very good book," she added defensively.

"Hm. What did they look like?"

"They were all dressed up, I don't know which one's book it is. There was detective, vampire-"

"Oh, these pals! You're lucky, they sure love their costumes."

"Do you know those people?" Flora tilted her head.

"Why, my dear, we sure do!"

And then the ladies started talking over each other:

"You see, at the end of this street there stands four houses, numbered 2, 3, 6 and 7."

"In each of one of houses lives one of four friends - Franken Rebot, Juliette Vantire, Leia Cupeed and Sherlock Detect."

"Each one of the always picks a certain outfit."

"Each one loves to read a certain genres of books."

"Exactly one of them has their first name related to their favorite genre, but it's not Mr. Detect."

"Exactly one of them has their costume related to their favorite genre, but it's not the one Martha was talking about or the one dressed like a Detective"

"Exactly one of them has their costume related to their last name and it's neither Sherlock nor one of those from before!"

"The women live in houses with odd numbers, and Franken's number is a multiple of Science Fiction fan's home number!"

"Which should tell you something, because Science Fiction fan and Horror fan are living just next to each other."

"The Cupid lives in one of the last two houses, and the Detective in one of the first two."

"And the last thing: The man with a name related to Mystery has a Robot costume, but he doesn't like Science Fiction."

In order to return the book, I need to find out which one likes mystery novels.

Flora put her finger on the chin, deep in thought. It will probably be easier to draw it out...

(Please don't scroll further if you want to solve it on your own!)

She quickly sketched the grid and get to work. The two women kept their distance, glancing at Flora from time to time, chattering and snickering. Flora smirked. Well, good to know everyone here is having a grand time.

After a few minutes she was pretty sure she got it figured out.

"In house 2 lives Sherlock Detect, who wears robot outfit and likes horror stories. In house 3 lives Leia Cupeed, who wears detective outfit and likes science fiction. In house 6 lives Franken Rebot, who wears cupid outfit and likes romance. That leaves Juliette Vantire, who lives in house 7, wears vampire outfit and likes mystery!"

The shorter woman clapped her hands. "Such a sharp mind, dear! Yes yes yes!"

"Now, if you want to catch her, we saw her going to the market square some time ago."

"Just go down that street and turn left two times, then to the right when you reach the fountain."

"Thank you a lot!" Flora weaved her goodbyes and took off. Who knows how long Miss Vantire will stay there?

She arrived at the market short of breath. The hive of bright shirts, coats and dresses buzzed around her. How was she supposed to find one bee in it?

Then, the shadow of a black cape glistened between the colours. With new life in her step, she jumped forward. "Excuse-" But then the person turned and Flora bit her tongue when she saw the middle-aged man instead of a young woman. She quickly shuffled forward, not looking back at him. Maybe he didn't notice.

Flora maneuvered her way through the square, making circles around the groups of gossiping people. Her eyes danced between the faces, trying to find her vampire without repeating previous mistake. So far, she had no luck.

Just when she was ready to give up, she saw another person in dark cape in front of a vegetable stand. Once burned, twice shy - so Flora squinted her eyes and scuttled closer. Apart from the cape, they wore high collar shrouding their head and Flora let herself hope. Then they reached to the side, pointing at some tomatoes, and a familiar orange bag slid down, sticking from behind the cape. Yes!

"Excuse me! Miss Vantire?" she shouted.

The woman looked over her shoulder, brows furrowing when she noticed Flora.

"That's me. Do you want something?"

Flora run up to her, thrust the book forward and let out in one breath: "Is this yours?"

Juliette stared at her dumbfounded before shifting and rummaging through her bag. She then looked up and smiled so wide Flora thought her vampire teeth were going to fall out.

"Oh, thank you very much! I didn't even notice it was gone, it would've taken me ages to find it again."

Flora couldn't stop large grin from appearing on her face. "No problem. I was happy to help." And she wasn't lying, it really made her giddy inside. Maybe that was the part she missed the most from adventures with Layton. The ability to just encounter a problem and solve it, helping people on the way. Somehow it never happened when she was going through London on her own.

She was about to say something more, when out of the corner of her eye Flora noticed something. A few meters away, a man took out large envelope from his pocket and swiftly sneaked it into another man's hand, before they walked past each other without another word. The whole encounter took less than 10 seconds. If she wasn't by accident looking there, she wouldn't have even noticed.

"Everything alright?"

"Ah, yes, I just thought I saw my friend over there. Have a nice day!" She pushed the book in her arms, turned on her heel and started forcing her way through the crowd. Her instincts, or at least that's what she would put a blame on if anyone asked, told her to follow the man with the envelope. Her eyes darted around, trying to find him in the sea of people. She pushed down the sound of triumph when she spotted the man some distance before her. Flora slowed down after that - as long as she could see him it wouldn't be wise to be too close.

The man moved further and further from the market. The crowds thinned and Flora found it harder to keep up without being noticed. She resorted to hiding in the shadows of the walls and behind the stairwells. Thankfully, after the man entered a maze of alleys she had a lot of nooks and crannies to choose from.

It's not that bad, she thought.

The sound of pebble being kicked away resounded impossibly loud between the walls.

She rushed behind the corner, hands on her mouth. Flora didn't bother holding her breath; part of her was sure the beating of her heart would betray her anyway.

She stood in place, her heart still trying to escape her chest, before she heard footsteps moving away again. Instead of going right after, she whipped a hand mirror out of her bag and tilted it towards the street, just to be sure.

The man was turned away, next to the metal fence four buildings over. He took out a phone, looked around a few times and entered through the gate. Flora sighed, relieved; she didn't botch everything yet. With more careful footsteps, she followed him.

The gate lead to a junkyard, with piles of scrap scattered about. Flora could see a few old cars towed against the nearest wall and some kitchen appliances stacked together. She surveyed the dumpsite, watching for any movement. There, some piles away, blue coat caught her attention, and soon after she heard a voice:

"---the archaeologist--- no, we need --- Yes, I--- it, I --- don't understand---"

Between the distance and how the man murmured, it was hard to understand what he was saying, so she gulped and took another few steps, making sure something was always covering her from his line of sight.

"The boss will be furious if we don't finish on time. We need this treasure." He listened to the person on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Yeah. No. Listen, it's not my first time with the Azran, I know what I'm doing. Someone has to be there to collect the package, it might as well be me."

Flora pushed down the gasp building in her throat. So it was something important after all. She licked her lips. She couldn't afford to miss anything.

He moved deeper into the junkyard, his voice fading away. Flora slowly crept between the piles until she heard him again.

"Of course no one saw me leaving the base," the man scoffed. "After the meeting, I went to the nearest restaurant and then to the main square." He let out annoyed grunt. "No, I didn't take the shortest path, I couldn't, I had to avoid the neighborhood watch posts. Damn bumpkins won't be making anything easier for us. But I did took the exact same number of turns as if I'd taken the short path, and I never backtracked." The man nodded a few times more. "Yeah, I guess. Well, I hope the delivery is not a bust. Can't repeat the last time. Take care."

The call seemed to be coming to the end. It was time to go.

Flora took a step back, and felt her shoulder bump into something. The whole word seemed to slow down. With terror, she watched as the tower of cans wobbled, suddenly remembering that gravity existed.

When it hit the ground, Flora was already on the run.

#Sometimes what you were looking for was in your pocket all along #katsu writes #professor layton big bang 2024 #professor layton #hershel layton #flora reinhold #fanfiction #my stufff

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