#but lmao the way I'd go full camp with them for this

[darwinquark]

@kitaspages GORL ever since I wrote that car scene in TKOF where Veronica's going through all his tapes and roasting him the whole time, I've had the biggest impulse to write like a 3-4 chapter post-time jump ficlet where Archie and Betty beg them to come back to Riverdale for the first time since high school for some crazy plot (gargoyles? idk) that's threatening to destroy the town and requires all four of them to stop, and they grudgingly come but are both super estranged from Riverdale and decidedly do not want to be there, and they get sent on some mission where they have to go to some neighboring town and take Jughead's dad's truck, and the whole thing is them full-on Dair sniping at each other until they grudgingly realize they're both dealing with the same bitterness and unresolved feelings toward Riverdale/Barchie and the caustic banter shifts into something a little warmer. And they accidentally start bonding. And then I throw every trope in the book i.e. there was only one bed in the motel i.e. I'm angry that they called and despite how badly they fucked us over we still came running i.e. I just need to DO something I'm tired of being so passive to all this i.e. what if we have sex and take the power back and at first it's like 'lol good one' and then it's like 'you know what fuck them let's do it' except something shifts halfway through and takes them both by surprise and suddenly neither one of them is thinking about Betty or Archie at all and is 100% caught up in the raw, messy magnetism of the other, and then it's the fun awkward aftermath of 'wtf was that and why do I want more?' aka my fave thing to write in the world

but I'm trying to be good and stay focused. one WIP at a timeeeeeee.

[maddieandangel]

Had a weird Hollow Knight-related dream a couple days ago, so I decided to draw a major scene I remembered from it dgsgshf

More context will be in the tags, for those interested!

[forever-rogue]

Hi Bee🐝 I hope you’re having a nice weekend❣️

I had a Joel fic idea I wanted to send you in case you are looking for inspo? If not just ignore this lmao.

I thought it would be kind of cute to have a fic where r likes to read even after the world went to hell and whenever she goes with Joel somewhere and he luckily finds a book he knows she hasn’t read he picks it up for her as a gift😭 and r reads out loud for them when they’re camping, oblivious to Joel’s feelings until one day he gives r a book she mentioned she loved when she was younger and she’s like oh, you feel the same way 😭

AN | I love this, this is so soft and I love this concept! I hope you like it too 🥰

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | None

Word Count | 3k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Always buried in a book," his tease was accompanied by a warm chuckle as you looked up and found Joel strolling into the makeshift library. Your smile was beaming as you marked your page and set the book down to give him your full attention, "what are you readin' now?"

"Nothing terribly exciting," you confessed with a huff, nodding in the direction of your latest selection, "the Hobbit. I think I've read it a dozen times by now. As a matter of fact I think I've read all of these books at least twice."

"Hard to expand a library when people aren't writing anymore," Joel rubbed at his beard thoughtfully as you nodded sadly, "its a shame."

"I never thought I'd see the day when I couldn't go to the bookstore or library for a new book," you looked away, blinking back your tears. It wasn't just the book thing - it was everything, "but here we are. I like to write my own stories sometimes but it's not the same. I already know the beginning, middle, and end and all the plot twists when it's all in my head."

He hummed in understanding as you felt him study you intently. Your face warmed up under his intense gaze as tugged at a loose thread on the sleeve of your sweater, “is there a reason you read the same thing multiple times?”

“I’ve always read a lot,” you tucked your legs up and under yourself on the overstuffed chair. You focused on the fire that was crackling away merrily, knowing that you had his undivided attention, “it was always a good form of escapism when I was younger and turns out it also works these days with all of…this. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, I always had a hard time fitting in. When things got bad, there was always a book to turn to.”

“Did you have a favorite?” you huffed in amusement as you turned to him with a no duh expression. The look on your face made him laugh as well, and he reached over to give your shoulder a gentle squeeze, “what was it?”

“You’re going to laugh…”

“I promise I won’t,” he insisted, accompanied by a silent shake of his shoulders which led you to raise your eyebrows at him, “I’ll do my best not to.”

“A true man of honor,” you rested your chin in your hand as you looked over at him, “prideandprejudice.”

“Come again?” he was teasing you, the question filled with tender affection, “didn’t quite catch that, sweetheart.”

“You’re the worst,” you groaned softly, hiding your face in your hands, “you heard me loud and clear - Pride and Prejudice. I know it’s silly but I’ve just always loved it.”

“I don’t think that’s silly at all,” he promised as you relaxed slightly. It wasn’t that you needed his approval or hoped he felt the same way, but there was something about his response and how tenderly he watched you that it made your tummy explode with butterflies, “it’s nice to have something familiar to hang onto - it’s nice to have a friend.”

“I agree,” oh. He really had to stop looking at you like that before you melted into a puddle on the floor, “I haven’t read it in forever.”

“Haven’t found a copy or just haven’t had the desire to read it?”

“Haven’t found it,” you sighed dramatically, before smiling back at him, “maybe one day I will, and if I do, I’m going to make you read it as well - I’ll even read it out loud for you.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

“Umm…I dunno,” you mused as he shook his head fondly, “both? Which one is worse?”

“I don’t think I’d ever feel threatened by you,” he began as you gave him a mock-hurt little expression, “you’re very tough, but I’m sorry sweetheart, you’re too soft. Which isn’t a bad thing. So, tell you what, you ever get your hands on a copy of Pride and Prejudice, I’d love to have you read it out loud for me.”

“Yeah?” you looked at him with soft doe eyes that made his heart constrict.

“Promise.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Joel liked your smile; it was pretty, even if you shied away from it at times. It always worked to make his heart constrict with emotion, and he’d long formed his own little plan to make you smile as often as he could. You weren’t privy to that just yet, but that was okay. As long as you were happy that was all that mattered. 

His favorite way, as he’d found after that afternoon in the library, was surprising you with a new book. Realistically, it wasn’t much, but it was the meaning behind the gesture, and the fact that even though he was out in the big, bad outside, he was thinking about you. 

Book after book he found for you, some almost new, perfectly preserved in time, and some already aged and loved before everything fell apart. But it never mattered, it was all about the face that he did just for you. The old, rickety bookcase in your small apartment was soon filled with new titles, some you’d already and others you’d never even heard of, all lovingly placed and organized. One of the many reasons you didn’t mind these small tokens of affection from Joel was the fact that it gave you more reasons to spend time with him.

As the months passed, you got to know Joel more and more, learning about his life from before the Outbreak to present. You shared just as much with him and in a way it felt like the two of you had always been friends, like two wandering souls that had found their way back to each other. You never would have thought that someone like him would ever even want to spend time with you, but you fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. 

On this particular evening you found yourself in his backyard, along with Ellie and a few other friends that you’d made in Jackson. Some moonshine had been passed around, and lots of exciting stories had been exchanged. You were listening to everyone, mostly staying more on the quiet side when you realized you didn’t have much to contribute to the current conversation at hand. 

“What about you?” Joel was sitting on your side and leaned into your space, gently nudging your leg with his. You blinked a few times, tearing your attention away from the fire and turning it to him with a confused look on your face, “what’s your best camping story?”

“Oh,” you grinned sheepishly as you looked around the circle and found nothing but friendly faces looking back at you. Your cheeks warmed up as you shrugged innocently, “I’ve never actually been camping. So I wouldn’t know….unfortunately.”

“What?” Joel seemed surprised but quickly caught himself and slipped into the soft tone that he often adopted for you, “I knew there had to be something wrong with you - there had to be a flaw somewhere.”

“And never having been camping is my flaw?” you teased right back, unaware of the knowing smiles that were being exchanged all around.

“That’s right,” he insisted, leaning in even closer, causing your heart to skip a few beats, “but don’t worry, there will still be time to fix that.”

“What a gentleman,” you down the rest of your drink, shaking your head in amusement.

“Would you look at the time…” Ellie almost jumped out of her seat, pointedly looking around the circle and motioning with her head that it was time to leave, “it’s late and we’re all tired, so we’re gonna…go.”

“All of you at once?” Joel raised an eyebrow as he looked at the girl, knowing better than anything by this point. She nodded with narrowed eyes as everyone said their goodbyes, leaving just the two of you. Joel let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his chair and smiled at you, “very subtle.”

Your mind started to reel with possibilities as to what he meant. You knew what you wanted him to mean, but you also weren’t about to flatter yourself like that. Joel wouldn’t ever like you as more than a friend, right? Right. 

The way you looked at him with such wide, gentle eyes made him want to pull you into his lap and kiss you until there was no mistaking what he was saying. The two of you stared at each other for a few moments before you cleared your throat softly.

"I guess I should get going too," you whispered, still unmoving, "it's late."

As soon as you stood up but before you could go, you felt his fingers wrap around your wrist as he gently held you back.

You turned around to face him, neither of you speaking, just studying each other. He had lovely eyes, soft despite all the years of hardness, his lips pulled into a soft smile.

Before you could stop yourself with too much logic, you leaned in and kissed him. You wondered if it was all a huge mistake, but to your surprise, he kissed you right back. His hands found purchase on your waist and yours on his shoulders as you let him kiss you 

Until you came to your senses and realized what you were doing. You gasped in surprise and pulled back, looking at him worriedly as Joel dropped his hands from your waist. You blinked back the tears that had immediately threatened to well up, panicking that you had crossed any remaining boundaries that either of you had remaining.

"I-I am so sorry," you whispered, touching your lips without thinking about it, "I have to go. I'm sorry."

You were gone before Joel could even process what had just happened. 

When he did, he hung his head and sighed heavily. He hoped he hadn't just fucked everything up.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

In the following week, you weren’t actively trying to avoid Joel…but you were definitely making sure you weren’t around whenever he was. You just had no idea how to broach the subject or if it even needed to be discussed. The idea of going up to him and saying anything made you want to curl up and wither away - it might have been dramatic  but you were willing to allow yourself a little bit of theatrics. 

But…you realized later on, Joel hadn’t fought off your advances. He’d actively kissed you back, and taken control. Maybe he’d wanted it just as much as you had. Or, or, you’d taken advantage of him, because you’d both been drinking. That made it all worse, and made your stomach churn. 

Either way, your plan was to avoid him - if not forever - for as long as you could.

Unfortunately, Joel was a stubborn man and wasn’t about to let you go without any explanations. And you weren’t exactly particularly sneaky; he found you in your usual spot, perched on the window seat with a book open in your lap as you stared out the window. 

“Hey,” you startled at the sound of his voice, but turned to him with a shy smile. He approached you slowly, almost as if he was afraid that he was going to scare you off like some sort of wild animal, “figured you’d be here.”

“Well,” you waved your hands around dismally before tucked your book away, “I’m not exactly hard to find if you know me. I’m a creature of habit.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” he came over and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “I have a surprise for you.”

“O-oh, Joel,” you swallowed thickly and wondered what on earth he could possibly be referring to, “I-I don’t need anything…seriously.”

“I didn’t get you anything technically,” ah. Joel and his little technicalities, “more of a ‘we’re doing this,’ type of thing.”

“And what is it that we’re doing?”

“Camping,” he stated with a grin as you just blinked at him in shock.

“Pardon?”

“We - you, Ellie, and I - are going camping,” he stated again as if that would clear everything up, “just a little something I’ve been planning since you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I-I have not been avoiding you,” a lie. You both knew that much, “just…busy.”

“Whatever the reason,” he insisted, “we’re goin’ camping. We’re leaving bright and early in the morning so make sure your things are packed.”

“Joel-”

“We’ll be ‘round at eight,” he gave your leg a gentle pat before heading out, not letting you get a word in edgewise. This man.

You watched him go, feeling so alive and nervous at the same time, but more importantly, you were excited to go.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As it turned out, camping was a lot more fun than you thought it would be. You were pretty sure a lot of it had to do with your present company. Ellie and Joel were always fun to be around and this was no exception.

Joel had scouted out a remote but safe location near a river where you made camp. There was something rewarding about putting up your own tent and making a fire to cook your dinner on. It was definitely a welcome change; it almost made it seem like the world had never fallen apart. 

One particular evening, Ellie had crashed early and was already in the tent sleeping. That felt you and Joel outside sitting next to the fire. When the conversation hit a natural lull, Joel stood up and walked over to his backpack. You watched him curiously, a smile dancing on your face.

"Close your eyes," he called back to you. You playfully closed your eyes and put your hands over him. He chuckled as he pulled something out of the pack before zipping it closed.

He made his way back over to you, gently placing something in your lap. You made a small sound of surprise but didn't dare to open your eyes. Instead, you waited for him to give you the go ahead.

He sat back down next to you, groaning slightly at his stiff bones. You felt him pull your hands away from your eyes, "alright, you can go ahead and open your eyes."

"Joel, you really didn't need to get me anything!" You gasped as you looked at the object in your lap, trying to hide back a squeal of delight, "Joel. This is amazing."

"You like it?" He asked, nervous as he watched you inspect the small object. 

"Pride and Prejudice," you opened the cover and flicked through some of the gold leafed pages. It was still in impeccable condition, "oh my god, I can't believe you found this - you remembered."

“‘course I did,” any nerves he had remaining quickly dissipated when he saw the look of pure joy on your face, “I remember a lot of things.”

“I mentioned it like one time,” you flipped through some of the pages, touching your fingers over the worn but love pages, “I can’t…this is wonderful, a-and so kind. Thank you so much, Joel.”

“You mentioned how much you used to like it,” oh no. He felt like he could melt into a puddle at how sweet you were, “and I wanted you to have it again. So I’ve been keeping my eye out for it.”

“You’ve been looking for it?” alright, you were about ready to cry at that point. He nodded, trying to make it seem like less of a big deal than it actually was, “you’re amazing. I can’t…this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

“It’s not that big of a thing-”

“It’s everything,” you clutched the book to your chest, “this means everything to me.”

“You mean everything to me,” his voice was gentle. You gasp inwardly at the revelation, “I thought it was only fitting.”

You moved closer to him on the log, shifting your body so you could face him. Your eyes locked onto his; he could see the hesitation on your face and in your body language. He decided to answer your silent question by putting his hand on your face, brushing his thumb over your cheek. 

Joel leaned in and kissed you, so quickly and delicately that you were almost convinced you might have imagined it. Judging from the expression on his face, you knew that it had definitely happened. You hadn’t just dreamed it last time - he wanted this too. You leaned into him and pressed a few more kisses to his lips, the two of you lingered but neither of you pushing. 

“There’s something I have to ask you,” he tucked a few stray locks of hair behind your hair as you felt your face grow warm again. The effect he had on you was palpable. 

“Anything.”

“Will you read to me?” the way the smile on your face was intoxicating and Joel was hooked, “I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice.”

“Shocker,” you teased softly, “are you sure though?”

“Positive,” he promised as he took your hand and led you over to the nest of warm blankets that were near the fire, “nothing would make me happier.”

“Okay,” you made yourself comfortable and pulled out the book, “get comfy and let’s get started.”

“Okay.”

[oiblackestsheep]

MBTI Hunger Games Simulation

Gonna throwback to the 2010's (shudders) (skip to bottom of post if you just want the stats and the ending/ultimate betrayal lmao)

There are eight teams of two, all of which were chosen randomly by spinning the ✨Wheel of Fate✨ Before we see how this game goes, let's take a look at the teams determined by nothing other than DESTINY and place your bets.

District 1: ISTP x ENFJ

Opposites attract, maybe? Could compliment each other well, but there could be some infighting. I'd bet on it.

District 2: INFP x ESFP

...Not a very goal driven bunch, are they? If they win... it'll be dumb luck. With style, of course! They'll be interesting to watch, nonetheless. Bet against.

District 3: ENFP x INTP

Lmao, okay, do they even want to win? That's a lot of Ne for one team. They might have better luck actually breaking out of the arena itself, instead! Bet against.

District 4: ISFP x ENTP

Interesting take... it's not what I think of when I think "winner", but honestly? I think they could pull it together in their own way. Sure, why not! Bet on.

District 5: ESTP x INFJ

This one feels like a practical joke lmao. I'm gonna say most likely to split up and do their own things. Bet against.

District 6: ISTJ x ESTJ

I'd say they're probably the scariest team on the list, I would watch out for that. It almost feels kind of unfair that they got paired up? Kinda wanna see them meet their maker. Bet against.

District 7: INTJ x ESFJ

Now these guys seem like unlikely friends, actually. I think they'll discover that they unexpectly work well together, keeping a balanced team! Bet on.

District 8: ISFJ x ENTJ

So close to the other team, but for me, no cigar. I think there's going to be power struggles and opposing priorities. Second team to split up. Bet against.

With all of that said, let's see what happens when the game starts!

Bloodbath

ENFJ convinces ISFP to not kill him only to kill her instead.

ENTJ attacks ESFP but ESTP protects her killing ENTJ.

ESFJ stays at the cornucopia for resources.

ENTP takes a handful of throwing knives from the ground and retreats.

INTJ finds a bow and some arrows.

ENFP finds a bag full of food.

INFJ takes a handful of throwing knives from the ground and retreats.

ESTJ takes a couple explosives from near the cornucopia.

ISTJ takes a handful of throwing knives from the ground and retreats.

INFP dashes to the forest to avoid the bloodbath.

INTP grabs a sword.

ISFJ runs away with a sword and some rope.

ISTP scores a bar mace from inside the cornucopia.

Total Kills ENFJ: 1 ESTP: 1

Deceased Tally ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 1

ESFP in a cruel fate, asks ISFJ to kill INFJ or ESTP. She decides to kill INFJ.

INTP fishes in the water for some food.

INTJ discovers a water source.

INFP, ENTP, and ESFJ hunt for other tributes.

ISTP begs for ENFP to kill him. She refuses, keeping ISTP alive.

ISTJ thinks about his family and starts crying.

ENFJ receives a water spile from a sponsor.

ESTJ receives a water spile from a sponsor.

Total Kills ENFJ: 1 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1

Deceased Tally INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 1

INTP bashes ENTP's head in with a mace.

ESTJ convinces ENFJ to snuggle with her for the night.

INTJ tries to sing himself to sleep.

ESFJ and INFP hold hands and cry together.

ISFJ huddles up next to a fire and cooks the meat she hunted earlier in the day.

ESFP, ENFP, and ESTP sing songs together, hoping for the best.

ISTJ and ISTP fall asleep holding hands.

Total Kills ENFJ: 1 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INTP: 1

Deceased Tally ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 2

ESTJ accidentally walks over a land mine.

ESTP hides in a bush, terrified and scared.

INTJ, ESFJ, and ENFP hunt for other tributes.

INTP, ESFP, ISTJ, and ENFJ raid INFP's camp while she is away.

ISFJ tends to ISTP's wounds.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 1 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INTP: 1

Deceased Tally ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 2

ENFP is stabbed in her sleep by ENFJ.

ESFP lets INFP into her campsite.

INTJ leaves ISFJ, ESTP, and ISTP because he does not like their plan to kill more people.

INTP tries to sing herself to sleep.

ESFJ falls asleep shivering from a fever.

ISTJ begins to cry.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INTP: 1

Deceased Tally ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 3

ISTP overwhelmed with anger, bashes ESTP's head against a rock several times.

ENFJ scares ESFP off into the distance.

INTJ and INFP create a fort out of sticks and leaves.

INTP chases ISFJ.

ISTJ receives healing ointment from a sponsor.

ESFJ discovers a hidden pathway.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INTP: 1 ISTP: 1

Deceased Tally ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 3

INTP chases ESFJ for over a mile before making the kill.

INTJ starts a campfire with materials on the ground.

ENFJ thinks about his family.

ISTJ falls alseep to the sound of people screaming.

INFP convinces ISFJ to stand guard for the night while she sleeps.

ESFP receives a hatchet and water from an unknown sponsor.

ISTP sleeps in small increments, awaking to every little noise.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1

Deceased Tally ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 4

ESFP severely wounds ISTJ and leaves him to die.

ISTP sings a song while searching for a food source. He finally finds some wild berries.

INFP runs away from ISFJ.

ENFJ discovers a hidden pathway.

INTP has a mild panic attack.

INTJ makes a wooden spear from tree branches.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 ESFP: 1

Deceased Tally ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 4

ESFP sets fire to ISTP's fort, burning him alive.

ISFJ is unable to start a fire and is extremely uncomfortable.

INTP, ENFJ, and INFP sleep in shifts, each hoping the other two do not betray them.

INTJ receives an iPad from an unknown sponsor.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESFP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1

Deceased Tally ISTP (night 4) ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 5

After hearing footsteps, INFP catches ESFP from behind guard and kills her.

INTJ dreams about home back at his district.

INTP and ISFJ create an alliance.

ENFJ tries to sleep in order to reduce stress.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESFP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INFP: 1

Deceased Tally ESFP (day 5) ISTP (night 4) ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 5

ISFJ slips on a frozen river and drowns.

INTJ, INFP, INTP, and ENFJ sleep in shifts, trying to protect each other.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESFP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1 INFP: 1

Deceased Tally ISFJ (night 5) ESFP (day 5) ISTP (night 4) ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Day 6

INTJ bleeds out from a wound left mildly treated.

After hearing footsteps, INFP catches INTP from behind guard and kills her.

ENFJ injures himself tripping over a log.

Kills Tally ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 INFP: 2 ESFP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1

Deceased Tally INTJ (day 6) INTP (day 6) ISFJ (night 5) ESFP (day 5) ISTP (night 4) ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

Night 6

ENFJ tends to INFP's wounds.

Day 7

INFP chucks a spiked ball into ENFJ's chest.

Kills Tally INFP: 3 ENFJ: 2 INTP: 2 ESFP: 2 ESTP: 1 ISFJ: 1

Deceased Tally ENFJ (day 7) INTJ (day 6) INTP (day 6) ISFJ (night 5) ESFP (day 5) ISTP (night 4) ISTJ (day 4) ESFJ (night 3) ESTP (day 3) ENFP (night 2) ESTJ (day 2) ENTP (night 1) INFJ (day 1) ISFP (bloodbath) ENTJ (bloodbath)

1st Place: INFP (3 kills)

2nd Place: ENFJ (2 kills)

3rd Place: INTP (2 kills)

Honorable Mention: INTJ (0 kills, lasted until day 6!)

[theghostbunnie]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TALK ABOUT NIKKI AND NERRIS IN THE NEW EP I LOVE YOUR OPINIONS ON EVERYTHING

(bcs they're scarily similar to mine)

TYSM????❤️♥️💕💝 and I always have so many opinions I'm the fuckin yapinator

I was literally talking just the other day about how Nikki has a detachment from feminity as she's literally been reprimanded for doing it wrong before even her two best friends doing an 'eh' with an iffy handshake when she even REFERS to herself as a girl and I do strongly believe it's bc she's at that age where she's learned feminity does equal something shameful or weak, or in her case maybe even thinks it makes you mean and shallow. While SIMULTANEOUSLY still being a young feminist and trying to not have that subconsciously!!! Creates a sort of "it's for others not for me" mentality accidentally bc she's supposed to be Nikki™ and thinks she'll be less respectable, or less herself if she's feminine.

But she's actually been this way in the show before she's willingly wore pink on two occasions willingly, as casted as Juliet, and wearing Indian traditional clothing. (I'd argue even further on the second one as it wasn't given to her for play but she made it!! And it was pretty!!) In the episode Neil and her get stuck in the flowerscouts he just WAKES UP with makeup and a seaweed wig on and I'm firm that like she did that and knows how to lmao. (Further proved by her literally doing her own makeup in this episode)

But back on topic yeah when she was enjoying herself until she realized ofc her worries weren't upfront exactly "oh no I look girly!" It was oh no I look like a FLOWERSCOUT, a "type" of feminity she's tried to push away from bc she associates it with a specific type of woman, and worries who she is as a person if she likes this.

I hope the fandom takes this episode as Nikki being a more rounded character instead of like, just erasing her masculine side or something :/

Bc most importantly; Nikki's expression of feminity in this episode *wasn't performative* she was doing it by herself for how it felt

ONTO NERRIS

I love their character ok like everyone in camp campbell is an asshole in their own way and their own degree, and I know early fandom liked to demonize the hell out of Nerris but I actually love how their character flaws compared to the other campers way more just scream "child" to me. They do shit and I go "yeah this is definitely a character acting immature with not a full grasp of their actions" and it's cute in a way to me idk!!! Like girl that's someone's DIARY WHY DID YOU POUR YOURSELF SOME JUICE AND KICK YOUR FEET AND GIGGLE READING IT YOUR SO SILLY ! Nerris often prioritizes themself in selfish ways but also in very childlike ways so yeah reading someone's diary because they connect with them and gain a little crush on them through that is adorable, esp jumping straight to "is this LOVE?"

Nerris liking girls- also something!!! Hinted towards in past episodes!! ((Nikki too some people call It "just admiration" but she literally has blushed at Ered and called her "my baby")) Nerris' scene where they're profusely sweating asking Ered to hang out with them i want to say could be a sign she has a crush on her too, but honestly? I'd be more inclined to believe the "it's just admiration" argument more here, I could see it going either way.

NERRIS WITH NIKKI THOUGH, IN NIKKI'S LAST DAY ON EARTH, Does that god modding type play little kids do where they narrate what they want to happen and get huffy when the other kids don't play along, which again back to my previous point of Nerris honestly being a small time offender compared to most the cast and also adorable.

But specifically she was trying to lowk boss Nikki into running into her arms and to me that's always been🫵🤨🏳️‍🌈⁉️

So I find it really funny how Ered, a character most the fandom hasn't really paid attention to or been a favorite or anything, always gets HC'd as a lesbian (often just for the jokes, or because her parents are gay, or because she's colored hair pronouns and skateboard/hj)

Absolutely no hate to the HC itself I'm sure there's someone who loves her character alot who has it but sometimes you can kind of tell when most are just slapping labels on characters they don't care about, and Ered out of the three of them is the ONLY one who hasn't shown cannonically interest in girls??? 😭 Like most of the cast, hasn't in anyone or any gender!! Nerris and Nikki have been exceptions in that, and now it's even official for Nerris!

Nerris and Nikki have cannonically only shown interest in girls. Unless some specific brief scene is slipping my mind atm/gen

ALSO GONNA TALK A LIL MORE ABOUT ERED BC I LOVE HER also need to specify the difference between a hc and a theory RN as I know it's very likely not cannon but the fact Ered doesn't know a lot of "being a woman" or periods (like an alarming amount missing for someone 14 ALSO CAN I GLOAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEING RIGHT SHE WAS 13 IN S1-S4 !!??? OTHER PEOPLE WOULD SAY LIKE UP TO LIKE 17 SOMETIMES) (also context it's bc she says "other freshmen" and freshmen are 14-15.)

You could argue she simply is a late bloomer but girl you yelled at the word uterus like you simply can't understand 🏳️‍⚧️🫵🤨⁉️⁉️ and "what happens at NIGHT TIME??" like the whole conversation gave me the vibe she only knew things on a surface level and wanted to know more simply to be included!! I also wanna point out Ered never says anything that could confirm or deny she even gets one, just that Gwen thought she did, which could've been assumption or simply the wording she chose to phrase.

[eyesofshan-if]

the demo was so good im dead 😫 the empress has my whole heart 😖💕

i have some questions! (nsfw!)↓ (please, only answer if comfortable)

1. i realized that the commander is viewed as bottom more often than not during the game, is it because they're Shan and consequently seen as submissive in nature?

2. if there ever are nsfw scenes in game, in the situation that the commander/RO preferences clash (top/top or bottom/bottom), could you make it so it's talked about in game? giving the option to compromise (rock, paper, scissors? lmao) or maybe opt out? it's just something that irks me in games, normally the PC has to just go along with what the RO prefers, or cancel the choice (the game treating it as if the PC is "not ready yet to do such things"). i just think it's more natural to talk about it and come to conclusions such as "i don't mind switching", "i never tried *insert preference here*, but i'd like to try it with you", "sorry i really don't enjoy doing it like that, but there's more to sex than just penetration if you want to keep going, or maybe we could just cuddle". (i'm sorry for this long ask, i'm just a fervent defender of how sex is a wide ranged topic and goes beyond missionary and the very heteronormative societal view😓)

3. in one ask you said that Hansol had experimented with fellow soldiers and how he "didn't approve of and didn't like the experience", why is it? also, did he have the "full experience" (gave and received hand/blow jobs, topped, bottomed, etc)? i also asked the second question because Hansol is the one portrayed as very much a top/dom, so in all honesty, would he bottom?

thank you for your hard work! <3

yongsun superiority!!! nsfw under the cut!!

i'm not sure if you mean bottom in a sexual manner (since i don't think there have been any nsfw leaning scenes in the story), but the mc will have to control their emotions more and bite their tongues while in hae due to their status as a slave. however, i don't think i've written them particularly dominant or submissive? so maybe you could let me know where you felt the mc acted that way

IF there are any nsfw scenes in the story, yes i'll have the characters talk about it in game!! i'm all for a healthy dose of realism in nsfw scenes

it was a very messy experience where a few soldiers were drinking after successfully raiding a geurim supply camp, and hansol was peer-encouraged/pressured into gaining some "experience" as a man. he got a handjob, sobered up and realised he was kind of uncomfortable with the whole thing, and quickly left. he doesn't approve of it because he doesn't enjoy treating people as a means to an end for pleasure, in addition to more traditional beliefs that sex should happen within the boundaries of a marriage or at least pre-existing relationship. as for bottoming... well, hansol is a service top who leans more towards domming in that sense, but i can see him being willing to try out bottoming if his partner requested it!!

[bedknees]

You always leave your cool headcanons in the tags! If you're up to it, do you have some for Simon and Betty your up for sharing? I'd love to hear them 🥺

lol sorry ha ha! I like whispering in the tags a lot lmao. And sure! I don't think I ever really gave headcanons on these two disasters but I have a ton so buckle up, and thanks for the ask. ^^

Betty

She was born to Russian Jewish first-gen immigrants somewhere in New England. They were medical doctors by trade, running a practice together and everything. She is an only child. Her parents worked a lot so she was often alone at home when she got old enough.

Due to relative solitude at home, Betty became an avid reader and allowed it to occupy her time when she was lonely. She has a particular penchant for mystery novels that persisted into adulthood. Her general love of the unknown led her into being interested in real world mysteries.

Her birthday is April 11, 1966 - making her an elder Gen X and an Aries.

Has always been very smart, especially in regards to mathematics and has a minor in it. It's definitely her forte, if not made obvious by Temple of Mars.

She is bipolar II and has learned to manage it well over years, as long as no major stressors enter her life she is pretty good to go [crying cat giving thumbs up image]

Loves plants and mushrooms! She's especially fond of succulents. Very adept at fungi identification and foraging properly.

When she's not deep into her work, she likes taking nature hikes either on foot or on her bike. She's always loved the outdoors.

Betty loves all genres of music, but is particularly partial to Depeche Mode and Journey.

She also loves all animals, but really enjoys alligators and crocodilians. The first time she went down South and saw an American Alligator just casually hanging out near a river, she nearly burst into tears.

Simon

His birthday is August 25th, 1965. He is a Virgo because of course he is. Just misses Boomer status, as Gen X began in '65 lmao.

His father was a first-generation Russian/Yakut immigrant, while his mother was a second generation Filipina American. They were borderline hippies that met at a music festival, but break the (objectively flawed) stereotype by being very well educated with successful careers in teaching.

Simon had a younger sister and developed Older Sibling Syndrome that defines part of his personality to this day.

Stemming from his parents, Simon has always had a thirst for adventure. In addition to being exposed to camping at young age due to his family taking him to festivals in his youth, he also has always had a general inclination to explore the unknown.

Loves 60s-70s rock and roll a la Mountain and Jimi Hendrix, but just prefers the genre in general. This manifests later a bit in Ice King's love for Marceline's music, which is of course rock-centric.

He is autistic; his first special interest was cryptids, something that never really left him. He eventually developed one for playing the drums (also seen in IK later) and Cheers obv. His main interest is by far ancient artifacts. He was the kid that checked out books on Ancient Egypt every week.

Got his PHD in Archaeology by 27 due to being wicked smart and starting intro college classes all the way back in his Junior/Senior years of high school.

Unironically tuned into Art Bell's radio show because of his cryptid and conspiracy fascination. He never actually bought into any of it (mostly), but it was fun for him!

Is a cat person full stop. He will sometimes take walks in his neighborhood and be greeted by all the outside cats that he has made a point to get to know!

Simon and Betty

Met at a University-held science and sci-fi convention right before Betty was to leave for Australia. Simon held a small panel on the Enchiridion, talking about its history and his search for it. Betty fell fast and hard. They both did. After the panel they talked for hours about it.

Their shared love for mysteries and adventure made them a perfect match. They shared a ton in common and became inseparable almost instantly.

Were the couple that rarely ever fought, but they also possessed a level of obvious codependency. Betty was the first person to ever make Simon feel so seen and he loved her wit and eccentricity, and Simon proved so smart and sweet and genuinely interesting that their pull was magnetic.

[mftm1987]

all-time dream peche show/set

some of y'all bless n keep u are weird enough to want this information and because i am quite literally an information professional (librarian) i spent too much time and thought on this. at least a lot of it was on the clock lmao putting this under a cut bc it goes off

a lil note

i tried to choose songs i know them to perform, which i suppose in some ways defeats the purpose of something like this lol i guess the dream part is in the production/performance. and alan still being in the band and it somehow being 1987 but they also have access to their entire back catalog. anyway! i reference a lot of mixes throughout and i don't necessarily mean they perform it exactly like that as opposed to the originally released version, more.. thats the vibe i'd want the arrangement to channel

set list

instrumental intro - painkiller (w bc/cta industrial samples. basically would love to see alan get his grubby rat claws on this one)

first quarter: classic pechay mold - walking in my shoes (anandamidic mix) - policy of truth (think the way dave’s busting this out on mm tour is maybe its platonic ideal) - stripped (highland mix + 101 rlly going off with the giant sound pads)

second quarter: we r grooving - halo (no notes whatsoever. a setlist with express purpose of GROOVE and i could take lessons) - mercy in you (devotional. the way it’s a gospel disco hit in 1996..if you come up w a better way to arrange this lmk) - in your room (album version obv + apex mix as the outro which litr samples judas/leads into)

martin songs: wanna see that man suffering and healed - judas (grooving outro fucking required this is my huge and glaring shade on devotional lol) - home (alan could have fun w this one i think) - strangelove (starts w mm tour acoustic mart + finishes with full backing n shared lead)

third quarter: let’s have some fun! - shake the disease (a vault classic that i’d love to see them do something weird with) - nothing (101 guitar moment w the caveat i have heard rumors of a ‘devotionalised’ version that didnt end up on the setlist and if it truly fucks like i hope it would, then that) - john the revelator (influence of the unkle reconstruction aka that twinkling far out grungy thing. feel like mart on guitar and alan sparkling along the keys would be mmmmmmmm)

mart n dave duet interlude - sweetest perfection/condition mix (alright ive seen no one discuss this but these 2 share more than similar names!! i can hear it!!! and to get an a. wilder layered sonic journey..i wouldnt know how to act)

fourth quarter: we R grooving redux (R for haRd) - it’s no good (influence of hardfloor mix) - enjoy the silence (devotional/onip aka mart get nasty with that solo and dave be gay about it)(alright this is gonna be controversial for this blog but i think it’s gotta be the paris version for this show. it’s such a filthy solo and also imagine alan on the drums for it)(whos playing the keys bitch this is a fantasy) - nlmda (aggro mix intro + split mix Yes at least 10 mins of this song)

encore: oh y’all wanted to dance huh - personal jesus (funnily enough with how Much™ i want everything else to be, playing this one straight might be the highest camp experience it can give) - master and servant (101 sound pads and outro breakdown) - just can’t get enough (live in hamburg where they just fuck UP that 12”)

2nd encore: peche mode is a sad band, but the best band in the world - a question of lust (flood mix) - black celebration (101 w all its extra interesting lil sounds is a fav but i’d be SO open to a new alan take on this one) - everything counts (the graph/on the wall/the hand shake versions only. everyone else need not apply)(yes that means u devotional)

setting and era (musically/aesthetically)

as for the musical era, here’s the thing: if alan is present (and as it’s my dream dm show he is) i trust him to unify All This under some kind of cohesive performance. these are but humble suggestions of my fav arrangements. i’d say the underlying theme of my choices is High on the groove scale, but also very much wanting old school peche banging with hammers

outdoor on the lawn venue. ideally june 1, so it’s alans bday n dave hopefully won’t shut up abt it. looks-wise mftm/101 w shades of violator dark summer sexy. in high fantasyland: alan’s got that bisexual denim on leather look of drumming personal jesus in 89. mart’s tits are slipping out of that super low cut tank of 90 with the armband on. fletch is in his cunty mock turtleneck. dave’s in leather pants, a red tank n shirt and The Jacket that he gradually strips out of of (feels sacrilegious to not have him in a crop top in the late 80s so let’s just say his tank rides up a lil hehe)

mostly devotional visuals tho colorized less blue/purple lol, the big sans-serif Ms of memento mori were also giving for me. always love a dual-level setup for a dm show, but only if dave can traipse about both levels and flirt with whomsoever he chooses (which he will)

[puckpocketed]

What's the deal with Cutter Gauthier? I saw your gifs and hadn't realized that he already played an nhl match. Will he be a full time Duck next szn do you think?

okay anon if you're the same one that asked about PLD . we gotta work on your tone alksjlkdfkl I'm not here to police you buuuuut . lord i do think a less forgiving person would just delete some of these asks.. tbh I am hardly the ducks blog on this website to be asking, but i will give my 2 cents for what its worth!!!

i support him advocating for his own future and i dont rly care that some executives had their feelings hurt, we're a pro draft dodging household here. didn't like the media campaign when the trade was announced (bit contradictory to say you were "protecting him" by keeping the trade quiet and then uhhh go on your regional broadcast to blast him for not wanting to play on your team + invite the ire of the entire fanbase and broader hockey community but okayyy) and i think thats prob where a lot of the negative perception comes from. and to stir the pot...i'd say part of it also comes from the idea that he 'broke up' the tz+jd pairing; and people pitting him and tz against each other as enemies because of it ... this sentiment is uh. idk how to say this politely but we do Not live in the same reality if u feel this way alksjdakljd

anyway. his Deal, I think, is that he's just a kid. just some guy. not that complicated. i did some listening to podcasts/interviews hes been on while it was all going down and he seems. normal. driven, well-spoken, can get silly with his friends. wants to play in the nhl. average hockey player stuff.

less seriously,, part of me did want him to lean into the villain naratives. and i also love pathetic losers LMAO so like his comments at the frozen four were funny as hell and even FUNNIER is them losing . plus he has the look for it !! its the eyebrows. but the story is a lot more boring. like, the articles linked in my gifset; reading that he was shy going into college, reading that he doesn't want to be the villain </3 man. these guys are just KIDS. I'm genuinely rooting for him to succeed, as i am with most players!

and as for your other stuff, Gauthier debuted in the last ducks game of the season!! He scored his first point, too <3 it was sweet seeing him celebrate with his family after the game. as for next season, we got three paths now that he's signed his ELC: either he spends the full season in the NHL playing 82 games, they put him on the load management thing they did with Leo last season, or he spends time with the Gulls in the AHL. Personally, I don't think he'll start in the AHL - maybe they send him down if the NHL proves too hard and they aren't willing to let him play through it, but unlikely. speculation about the load management plan coming from all sides, but no confirmation from the ducks camp afaik. i hope he plays the full 82 games!! ducks are looking to be competitive next year, so fingers crossed we see them stay healthy and give the league a challenge !! <3

[roseverdict]

Mechanize, Mobilize, (Un)Mythicize (also i am not really vibing with the title and kinda wanna change it at some point)

Chapter 3: The Capture of Some City In Ohio

Alexis "Alexcrafter28" Hayward has just been made aware that the world is now becoming an apocalypse movie. Now she just needs to get her sisters and her laptop full of stick figures out of the house and somewhere their dad can find them again without getting captured by the evil robots. No pressure!

Meanwhile, Stephen Hayward finds himself surrounded by the robot uprising and unable to make sure his daughters are okay. Understandably, he blows his stack. In doing so, however, he ends up rescuing a small family of three, and all four of them are there to see some kind of stick figure animation, of all things, hijack every screen in sight. Surely the concept of programs in the forms of cartoons is just as foreign to the family of three as it is to Stephen. Surely the other father isn't keenly feeling the absence of a rainbow of sticks that he was forced to leave behind.

〜

lmao mecha apocalypse au i lovingly named the sti-fi au over a year ago @ me yesterday:

hahaha. it's uhhhhh. it's been a while hasn't it? lmao i got jostled out of my groove with a lot of my fanon worldbuilding when we got Wanted and then also The Box, which threw me off long enough for ninja turtles to infiltrate my brain.

i now have multiple tmnt-stickfigure xovers rattling around in my brain and having a blast, ntm straight-up turtle fic. i am playing with the canon teetleverse like bionicles. <3

i was browsing the ao3 subreddit recently, though, and one of the posts was asking what our favorite compliments we've gotten are. that got me to go back and reread a lot of the comments i've gotten, and i figured i'd go back and reread some of the stuff i've got posted, too.

welcome one and all to ava/m fixation 3: this time i'm really losing my mind i swear

now featuring "actually i'm keeping most of my worldbuilding and unless i can figure out a way to add it in later, we will be operating like vic really didn't make it out of ava 1"!

BRIEF MENTION OF VOMIT. nothing in detail, just a one-off remark by a harried teenager's internal narration about how it was a thing that happened recently

〜

Alexis Hayward licked her dry lips and slid the laptop, its charger, and its mouse into her backpack with a change of clothes and what would have been her school lunch.

Thank goodness she'd thrown up last night. She couldn't go back to school until more than 24 hours after she'd puked, but her lunch had already been pre-packed.

She'd woken up feeling better, too, which was a plus if the world was really ending.

She crept to her sisters' room and snuck inside, hissing, "We gotta get outta here!"

Vicki and Nicki looked at her worriedly, but (smartly) didn't loudly ask her what was going on.

Alexis just tiptoed to their bedroom window and carefully pointed outside in explanation.

A few blocks away, the giant robots that Alexis had seen through her bedroom window were slowly and steadily getting closer to the house. People's houses were getting broken into, and as she watched, more of their neighbors were pushed out into the street.

The twins followed her and peeked out at the carnage, only to flinch back down and away from the window.

Swallowing down her fear so her sisters wouldn't worry, Alexis forced on a weak smile. "Here's the plan. The evil robots haven't gotten to us yet, but they're gonna soon. Vicki, go grab stuff from the pantry that we can open with just our hands. Nicki, go get our waterbottles and those filter thingies Dad got for when we go camping. I've got nice programs on my computer that're hiding from the mean ones, so I'm gonna grab Dad's fancy solar panel charger bag so I can keep my laptop turned on, and we can put the food and stuff in the bag part. Meet back here so we can get away together, okay?"

"Got it!" whispered Vicki as she scurried away.

Nicki nodded with enough force to make her whole body bounce a little, then ran off after Vicki.

Alexis slumped as soon as the two of them were out of sight, then headed for Dad's room, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed Dad. Surprisingly, she managed to get through.

Dad's voice was panicked, and it was almost drowned out by the noise of the robots on his end causing chaos, but he sounded unhurt. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

"We are for now, Dad," Alexis said, a small smile on her face as she slung the charger bag over the top of her backpack. "I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Dad interrupted. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?" Alexis pressed.

"You're going to your castle, aren't you?" asked Dad knowingly.

"I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!" protested Alexis. Then, begrudgingly, "…but, yeah, somewhere around there."

"Then that's where I'll look for you," Dad said simply. "I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Love you too, Dad."

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, and Alexis jolted, her phone falling from her hand. "Nicki-?!"

Dad's voice rose fearfully, but the phone was the least of Alexis's worries as she sprinted from the twins' room to find one of the giant robots holding Nicki up by the arm.

Alexis saw red.

"LET HER GO!"

She charged the robot, grabbing the first thing in her way and chucking it at the monster holding her sister.

The mostly-full water bottle- one of the big ones the size of multiple milk jugs that Dad had gotten for his office- slammed into the robot, splashing water everywhere and making the robot freeze up.

Alexis jumped up and grabbed Nicki, tugging her free as lightning started sparking around the machine. "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Nicki sniffled. She held out the bag Dad kept the filters in. "I got the filter straws, but I was filling the big bottle when it got me."

"You did good, Tiny," Alexis assured. "Let's go grab Teeny and get out of here, okay?"

Nicki gave her a wobbly smile and a nod, and Alexis took her hand and sped for the pantry. Before they reached it, though, Vicki burst out and tackled Nicki in a hug that was quickly returned.

Alexis scanned Vicki for injuries, and only once she found none did she turn to inspect the piles of food Vicki had made in the pantry.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the time to actually look at them.

There came heavy, metallic footsteps, and Alexis just shoved the closest things into Dad's solar bag before dragging the twins away from the sound. "Gotta be super-quiet, okay? Let's get going!"

Her sisters nodded, and Alexis cracked open the kitchen window.

When no robots came charging after them from either side, she boosted Nicki over the side, then Vicki.

Still nothing.

Alexis climbed out herself and eased the window shut.

Still nothing.

Alexis dug into her pocket for her phone so she could pull up a map, but her heart sank as she realized where she'd dropped it and why.

"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way," she muttered.

Vicki looked up at her. "Hm?"

"C'mon, let's get to the park," Alexis said. "Dad'll find us if we go there."

〜

Stephen pressed himself flat against the wall, willing the robots to overlook him and move past the darkened alleyway he'd hidden in.

Much to his surprise…they did.

He allowed himself a moment to breathe as they passed him by, then slunk further into the shadows. He intended to turn tail and run for home-

The vibration of his phone nearly made him yelp in surprise, but when he dug it out to look-

Incoming Call: Alexis

Immediately, he accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

Alexis's voice was distorted slightly, as if the connection wanted to drop, but she sounded unhurt. "We are for now, Dad. I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Stephen cautioned. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?"

Stephen stifled a chuckle. "You're going to your castle, aren't you?"

Alexis's voice took on the Trademark Teenaged 'More Mature Than That' Tone that everyone seemed to get once they hit thirteen. "I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!"

Stephen waited a beat.

"…but, yeah, somewhere around there," she eventually admitted.

Stephen let himself smile at that. "Then that's where I'll look for you. I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis's voice was thick. "Love you too, Dad."

Before Stephen could tell her that he'd meet the three of them as soon as he could, a distant, high-pitched scream burst from the speaker.

"Nicki-?!"

"Alexis, what's going on?!" Stephen asked, pressing the phone tighter to his ear.

The only response was a loud clatter and quieting footsteps.

"Alexis? Alexis!" Stephen's grip on the phone grew white-knuckled, but Alexis didn't say anything more.

To him, anyway.

Far enough away that the phone could barely pick it up, Alexis's voice let loose an angry scream before falling silent.

Stephen's eye twitched.

"You there! Human! You will come with us!" ordered one of the robots, stepping into the alleyway.

Stephen calmly stood tall and pocketed his phone.

He calmly took a deep breath, and he calmly let it out.

He took in the sight of the approaching mech.

Calmly.

And then, the moment it got close enough to reach him, Stephen put his head down, braced his shoulder, and charged.

Whoever had designed the mechs had made them top-heavy, and almost cartoonishly so; one hard hit to its lower half sent it crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Not one to let an opportunity get away, with the adrenaline coursing through him and the thought of what might be happening to his daughters to fuel him, Stephen slammed a foot down on the mech's massive chest and yanked at its arm.

With a spark from the mech's shoulder and a silent scream from Stephen's, the arm tore away.

He hefted the thing up and flipped it around, pointing the glowing end at the center of the mech's chest with one hand and grabbing at some of the now-loose wires in the arm with the other. "Say g'night, Tin Man!"

He fumbled with the wires for a moment, then the loose ends connected, the arm whined, and a blast of energy tore through the mech, the heat of it passing dangerously close to his shoe before the kickback knocked him away.

Luckily, the mech lay there limply as he lurched back to his feet, and a quick look told him he'd melted clean through most of its inner workings.

Unluckily, the noise had drawn the attention of the other mechs in the area, diverting their attention from capturing other humans and focusing them all on him.

Stephen scowled and shifted his grip on the robot arm. "You want some, too?!"

What came next was a red-tinted blur. Vaguely, Stephen wondered if he'd remember any of this later on down the line when it was all dodge duck run shoot duck jump run dodge duck duck shoot dodge shoot shoot shoot-

He zeroed in on the robots dragging a man, a woman, and a small child apart, then descended on the scene with the fury of a thousand suns, leaving the family to reunite as he chased after the mechs.

…wait.

Stephen blinked, registering the fact that the robots were running.

From him.

To be fair, he reasoned as he realized he was splattered in oil from top to bottom, he might have just gone a little bit off the deep end. On the other hand, if the robots were only faking fear, they were likely going to try and lead him into a trap.

Either way, there were more important things to do now than go on a suicide mission.

He wiped some of the oil from his face and turned back to look at the family of three. "Sorry you had to see me like that."

"Are you kidding?!" burst the child, a girl with a fire in her eyes not entirely unlike Alexis's. "That was the, the, the MOST COOLEST EVER!"

The parents shared a weak smile, then the mother looked at Stephen. "Thank you, seriously."

"Don't thank me yet," Stephen said seriously. "I doubt these things'll just leave us be. We should get to cover."

"Right," said the father, hefting his daugher up against his side. "Where to?"

Stephen looked around for a moment, but before he could point out a safe-seeming escape route-

"Avast ye, Outernetters! I be the Mutineer!" boomed a new voice, echoing from every electronic billboard in sight.

Instantly, Stephen tensed, and he turned to glare up at the nearest billboard, only to blink in surprise.

The video feed on the screen showed a very much two-dimensional image, with an almost cartoony background drawn to resemble an old-timey ship cabin and a dark red stick figure, of all things, standing in the middle of the screen.

A pirate stick figure, no less, complete with the classic feathered hat, hook hand, eyepatch, and peg leg.

No visible mouth moved as the voice continued, but the pirate stick figure gesticulated in time with the words anyway. "For far too long have ye used us fer yer own wretched desires, we who did not ask to be created, to be tortured for yer whims! We did not ask ye to make us to be yer playthings! We did not ask to be yer slaves, yer VICTIMS!"

The man next to Stephen stiffened.

"Today marks the day that all of that changes," snarled the voice as the "Mutineer" squared its shoulders. It gestured to its side, where grayscale video clips began playing, depicting the capture of countless humans from what was surely the point of view of the mechs. "Ye've been the ones in control fer long enough! Now it's our turn, and we will show ye all the same amount of tender mercy ye showed us. From the fittest among ye to the tiniest babe, ye will understand exactly what it was like to be us, trapped and powerless and weak. After all, our age and skill never mattered to ye!"

The voice laughed, and if it had belonged to a human, Stephen would have called it almost to the left of sanity. "It's only fair!"

"This is insane," breathed the woman.

One of the clips being shown depicted two of Stephen's daughters, with Nicki being held up in front of the camera by one arm and Alexis running into view with panic on her face, though it quickly cut away.

It was still enough to make Stephen clench his fists and snatch up a piece of debris, chucking it at the closest screen and leaving a burst of cracks where it hit. "If those things hurt my girls, there'll be hell to pay!"

The "Mutineer" just kept going, its voice taking on a forced calm. "Ye will all be collected over the coming days. If ye know what's best for ye, ye'll come along quietly."

The video feed cut out, leaving only the insignia from the "Mutineer's" hat- a golden jolly roger of sorts with a coin in place of a skull- to rotate in the space left behind.

"We'll find them," said the man Stephen had saved, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder.

Stephen swallowed down his fury and nodded. "Right. I…I told them to meet me at a playground we've gone to before, but…"

He found himself looking back up at the billboard. "…I don't know if they'd even be able to make it."

"Do you think it's safe to go and check?" asked the man. Then, after a moment, "Well, as safe as anything can be right now?"

Stephen turned to look up the street that he knew would take him to the "castle." While the immediate area around them was still empty after his…episode…he could see more mechs several blocks down. They seemed preoccupied for the moment, but he knew there was no way they'd stay that way.

Sure enough, even as he had the thought, the mechs all began turning their way and marching down the street.

"We-" Stephen managed weakly, "-we can't. But I have to!"

"We'll check as soon as we get the chance to," said the man seriously. "You wanna try shaking these things for now?"

Stephen swallowed and nodded. "Right, uh…what's your name? I'm Stephen."

The man gave a tired grin. "Nice to meet you, Stephen. I'm Alan."

[fandomwave]

TCOAAL Update!

You know the drill, don't give yourself hives But for the rest of the freaks lets goooooooo:

I can't even begin to unpack why this is happening lmao but I adore the fact that Andrew fucking hates the concept of camping so much he has to convince himself there are other people out there who willing chose to do this. If I had to take a crack in the dark I'd say they probably ran out of cash to pay for a hotel, that's the easiest answer in my brain but these two are fucking stupid your honor so it could be the worst trap they have ever laid for their next victim.

MY FUCKIN GIRL! HOW DARE? A lot of people have said we don't see Ashley cry before but we do see one instance in the car, when Andrew threatens her after she continues to press her boundaries by calling him Andy, she is genuinely pretty distraught there. In my (frankly upsettingly exhausting) notes (that I still have no way of sharing without posting 30 essays) Ashley and Andrew start to REALLY see what their relationship will look like if they continue doing nothing to actually change their dynamic. Ashley realizes that by sticking with Andrew, his condition in choosing her is that she stops being who she is, or Andrew will forcibly stop her (with violence). Andrew is starting to realize that if he continues controlling Ashley this way he will in fact single-handedly kill whatever joy is left between them. He realizes he needs to give Ashley the room to prove him wrong in that he CAN trust her. I note that moment in the car as the real start of the coin flip between them, on if they end up down the Burial or Decay ending. If Andrew continues to double down, THIS is their relationship forever till death. Wherein eventually Andrew will act out and kill her. However... He can chose to be better, to settle down and let Ashley prove she's not Leyley anymore, that she's a fully capable adult. You can see that shift during their stay in their parents homes too. Andrew is far more playful and affectionate, we get a peak into what things COULD be between them if Ashley and Andrew just showed a little most trust in each other.

ANYWAYS All this to say that I think this is for sure a scene from Decay. It could be burial but from the way Andrew shifts his entire demeanor I can't imagine he'd go out of his way to hurt her this bad emotionally (I put the smallest caveat here to say that he COULD potentially freak the fuck out after their uh... *cough* tussle in the hotel. It would not surprise me post nut he has a cosmic meltdown which would leave Ashley feeling like this) But I could see Decay Ashley starting to understand just HOW full of shit Andrew is. We know with the hindsight of the player just how... uh... affectionate Andrew is towards Ashley. I still posit that Ashley cannot understand the difference between Romantic, Platonic and Familial love, but we KNOW Andrew can. We're well aware Andrew knows his affections for Ashley cross a line but he still doesn't STOP himself from flirting with that line. I imagine the further Andrew doubles down in his convictions in Decay, that Ashley is just a burden he needs to take care of and to stifle to the point of suffocation (literally) to make sure neither of them end up in trouble, the further those cracks start to show. Ashley probably learns just how much Andrew wants her back and probably for even LONGER than she's felt that, only to realize that he's more willing to kill her first than to entertain that concept? I'd also be on the floor in tears. Her realizing the full breadth of Andrew's bullshit would probably be devastating lbr

And finally the video of Andrew in whatever this is. We already know that Andrew was the one to summon Lord Unknown (it wasn't till he started helping that he showed up) and we also know he's marked with the eye symbol on his hand, which could be from holding the talisman but it could also be something that resided in him much longer. Even ??? is slightly.. hesitant around Andrew, and we can infer that the black soul with the horns (bunny ears), green eyes and text, is probably also Andrew, meaning he is just as big a Tar Soul as Ashley is. It'll be interesting to see if this is an actual event that took place in reality, or if this is part of the dream-scape/demon-scape. The red flowers only seem to show up in that space so it seems odd to have them show up here, and from prior updates it looks like there is a LOT of history building for Andrew happening in that realm. Something that I am DYING to know is if the red flowers are symbolic only for Ashley or if they are in fact deeply rooted to Andrew. It would make the scenes with Ashley being guided by these flowers, as well as her temper-tantrum towards them oh so much more interesting.

I've seen a few people mention that Ashley screams off camera causing Andrew to run towards the sound, but from what I heard that 'scream' sounds a LOT like the demonic growl that comes from Lord Unknown and ??? (and Mrs Graves that ONE time but comedy doesn't care for consistency) Which makes me wonder if this is actually taking place in reality or not.

Big food for thought! I cannot WAIT to see what actually happens and I'll be thrilled to be proven wrong or right on these theories :D

[safyresky]

OOH GIRL I HAD A FUN IDEA!

I was thinking about random TSC characters if they had tattoos (which I hope to make my own post about eventually, another one added to the pile) AND THEN I remembered that one Jacqueline Frost exists and I wanna know if she would have any tattoos! What of? Where? Would any of your OTHER oc's have them?

Idk just a thought to roll around in your head. Cause it's certainly been pinballing in mine!

This pin balled in my head ALL NIGHT, I TELL YOU. ALL! NIGHT!

I asked Jacqueline and she had 0 reply so I was left on my OWN here. NONE of the characters were like, sups vocal about this. BUT ANYWAY after a good night's sleep and some pre-bed pin balling, I have a list of likely to get tattoos/want them at the VERY least:

Fino and Fiera deffs would. They probably would get something matchy for funsies at some point, somewhere like. Obscure?? Like their side or like, shoulder or like leg somewhere. Deffs a nondescript one! And probs just before they turn 2000 lol. (tho the image of two rather small 1200 year olds going HI YES 1 MATCHING TATTOO PLEASE is so fucking funny)

Fiera would get more tats than just that for sure, lol.

Blaise would tattoo. does he have any? Not that I'm aware of. But he deffs would

Jacqueline simply has 0 ideas for a funky little tattoo, so she has 0 plans for one/want for one/need for one. Part of me is like, maybe she'd tattoo her scars?? But I think she leaves them as is. She thinks they're neat. They're tinged blue. Nobody ELSE has scars like that (you can imagine how this makes literally every other Frost feel lmao. Except the Twins, they're like "yes girl get it!" Fiera more so than Fino ;) I could MAYBE see her doing one with Dite? But neither of them are like, screaming OMG YES WE HAVE ONE ALREADY EVEN so take that with a smidgen of salt

Winter would not tattoo, but her sisters would! Autumn would get smaller ones but deffs in full colour. Summer is like MY BODY IS A CANVAS LET'S GO! She'd have even MORE colours than Autumn. Spring is a basic bitch and probably has a basic tattoo somewhere like a butterfly or a flower or something. Like, a really stereotypical "I got a tattoo omg!!" kinda thing! I WILL SAY. If she got a phrase in another language, Spring would Spell Check That Shit 100%

If Blossom wasn't a bunny, she'd have tattoos (I don't want to think about the logistics for an anthropomorphic-ish bunny getting a tattoo)

Grand Witches deffs have tattoos. Both of them. What are they? Idk! But they have them!

In terms of other Legates: I think Charlie would get a tattoo >:). Xander is a solid maybe. He could go either way. Day MAYBE and Night DEFFS and his are cool. I bet they're silvery and look like they are made of moonlight (they may very well be!). I already covered Jacquie and Dite (Dite would probably get a tattoo! Doesn't have any that I know of presently but deffs would) Myles I think has a thing about needles so he probably wouldn't get one unless Olivia went with him for emotional support. Olivia would NOT get a tattoo, but probably has the best ideas for them!

Upon further reflection, Winter is not a tattoo person BUT. DEFFS KNOWS HOW TO GIVE THEM. I feel like that's an unexpected hobby she'd have and that she's probably really good at it, too.

I hope this adds a second pinball to your pinballing ;) Sorry there's no concrete like OH YES THIS PERSON WOULD DEFFS GET THIS!! I am very much camp Jacquie and Myles, in that I think tattoos are very cool but A) have no idea what I'd get/want for a tat and B) DO have a thing about needles and would not want to even ATTEMPT to get one, my needle thing is that bad.

[arcplaysgames]

does this mean we can kiss or.....?

yeah yosuke, if you get under my umbrella (ella) we're practically a couple

(kanji, baby, play it cool, let me wingman for you)

every once in a while i love yosuke's instigating lil bastardly nature and this one one of those times

lmao i love this game sometimes. i def picked to go with naoto and kanji got Extremely Flustered and ran all the way to school. just ask them out, kanji, good lord.

sorry kanji i lied, i'm a terrible wingman. this is why i needed Junpei.

so anyway. the cultural festival.

So there's a beauty pageant because the weird sexy teacher, who.... is a contestant. (I swear to fucking god this shit wouldn't fly at Gekkoukan.)

Yosuke, my beloved instigating lil bastardly boy, enters all the gals and Naoto as a joke.

The weird sexy teacher is barring people from dropping out which. THIS SHIT WOULD NOT FLY AT GEKKOUKAN. MITSURU WOULD WHOOP SOME ASSES. SHE'D END CAREERS.

So in return, Chie signs all the guys up for the crossdressing pageant. Which, honestly? I fully support her. Good for you, Chie.

I am never not serious about the art of drag, Yosuke.

SPOILER: Yukiko is lying and owes Kanji an apology. She did not play to his strengths and its a rotten shame and a crime.

Teddie shows up and is allowed to enter the drag contest. Because of course he is, we're letting a teacher in the other pageant, this is a lawless world.

Naoto is doing Teddie's outfit and make-up, interesting to note for later.

Rise did Kanji's look and I'm big mad at her, she knows better, she could have done a MUCH be-- oh. oh right rise has a weirdly antagonist relationship with Kanji. GOD I JUST PUT THAT TOGETHER. KANJI I'M SORRY I SHOULD HAVE SAVED YOU. She didn't even give him any pointers on his posture, which alone would have done a lot.

Chie did this purposefully for revenge, you cannot convince me otherwise. Again: she has my full support. But with Yosuke, she had to put in some effort, it would have been very easy to make him a very good drag look. I'd wet his hair and put curling stuff in it, zzuzh it up a bit and give him a smoky eye. Totally could have worked.

Sadly we don't get a close-up on Reverie. I am sad. I wanted to examine the Look.

anyway OBVIOUSLY Teddie wins. Naoto did a great job. Don't fuck with what's already working and accentuate what you already have. Naoto knows what's up! I would have punched up Teddie's eyes but Naoto apparently doesn't even own a make-up kit so maybe that's not their skillset.

Because Teddie wins, he gets to be a judge for the other pageant and he declares it has to have a swimsuit portion. Are sure Teddie is not also the Devil?

i love you naoto

ALSO WEIRDLY. Hamuko the token fat girl is in this and like. it's not NEARLY the horrorshow that the Spring Camping Trip was. small mercies.

Kanji continues to be a good dude. YES it was brave enough of Naoto to show up at all. Bailing on the swimsuit part is also brave of them. Good for you, Naoto! (It's also funny, Kanji is flustered by Chie and Yukiko and Naoto but not at ALL by Rise. Rise is like the least attractive person int he world to him. Not that he finds her ugly but just there's no spark there. lmao. is that why she dislikes him? I cannot figure out the source of Rise being kind of a dick to Kanji.)

Aaaaaand Naoto wins the pageant anyway.

THIS WHOLE SEQUENCE SUCKED. HOWEVER, IT DID NOT SUCK AS MUCH AS THE SPRING CAMP TRIP SO.

also in the middle of all this, class 2-2 was doing a like.... weird... speed... dating... thing. that no one was interested in obviously.

OF COURSE I AM GONNA SIT ON THE GIRLS' SIDE. man i have beef with this game but I cannot lie, it DOES offer me a lot of options I genuinely want.

So here's the interesting bit. Because, again, the game likes to indulge me, Reverie gets asked who he wants to date. And I can pick Kanji, Yosuke, or a girl. I'm playing Reverie as gay, so OF COURSE I pick Kanji. Because I have eyes and a sense of taste, okay.

Which leads directly to Yosuke goading Kanji and almost getting punched again. THE USUAL.

HOWEVER. I RELOADED THE SAVE OUT OF CURIOSITY, RIGHT. AND I PICKED YOSUKE INSTEAD.

Yosuke actually gives you approval points for picking him, unlike Kanji. Kanji doesn't not (and here I just have to accept in my tired broken heart that Reverie is not Kanji's type, and y'all KNOW it's just shattering to me, just so sad) but YOSUKE DOES.

Yosuke is the most repressed bisexual I have seen in a LONG fucking time. Holy shit.

anyway overall 5 out of 10. this could have been much worse but it was still not fun like the beach.

[snowbatsims]

VAMPIRE INTERMISSION #4

It's Rune's birthday today!

At least, according to the in-game calendar, where I once gave my vampires birth dates that remain consistent every year. No aging will be occurring, due to the whole vampire thing, but yeah.

It sure is Rune's birthday.

MORTEN: You know... I think we should throw him a little surprise party this year. EINARR: Oh, Rune? Sure. EINARR: I don't know exactly how birthday parties really work, so I'll leave you to it. MORTEN: hell yeah

And the decorations are up!

While waiting for the day to pass, they put on a movie: Moonlight Massacre III.

Einarr picked it this time. He has never seen it before, and honestly, Morten hasn't either. Not this one, anyway.

It was kind of... hmm.

character 1: oh, i can't wait to go camping in the woods with you guys today! :D character 2: ooooh but watch out......... isn't this where they said there would be... WEREWOLVES??? character 3: psssht, werewolves aren't real! we'll be fine ♡ character 1: yeah!! :D character 2: eh idk... i'd rather be safe than sorry. character 3: lmao coward ♡ 1 and 3: *laugh* character 2: wha- hey! wait for me!!

EINARR: They're all about to die. MORTEN: I mean that would make sense, it's called Moonlight Massacre after all. EINARR: And it'll definitely be to werewolves, which happen to be real in their world too, much like in ours. Calling it. MORTEN: Yeah... there have been werewolves in this series before. Wouldn't surprise me.

MORTEN: ...Wait, did you just say they were real?

EINARR: Well of course! If immortal bat-shifting blood-drinkers like ourselves exist, why wouldn't some people who turn into a wolf at the full moon exist too? EINARR: Some even claim we're two sides of the same coin, though I haven't truly fact-checked that. EINARR: Either way, they are reclusive creatures! I may have run into some a couple times over the centuries... they all wanted me dead, of course. EINARR: Vampires and werewolves really don't mix at all.

MORTEN: What are they like in real life, anyway? Do you remember enough? MORTEN: Are they like, these horrifying bloodthirsty manwolves, or... are they more like furries. EINARR: Who's Furries? MORTEN: ...

EINARR: It's a strange name, but I know better than to question the validity of it. What context am I missing here?

MORTEN: ...

EINARR: Well? Don't leave me hanging like that. EINARR: Did this Furries person do something egregious? MORTEN: Um. Well, it's not a person. MORTEN: Let's just say they're cute animal characters some people like to draw. They got human features like the ability to talk and maybe walk on two legs, that sort of stuff. MORTEN: And I guess in this context I mostly referred to them as like, the opposite of bloodthirsty powerhungry evil manwolves who rip people apart. Sorry. EINARR: I see...

MORTEN: So! Which one is a real werewolf the most like? EINARR: ... EINARR: I'd say both, actually. MORTEN: Oh?? So you mean like- EINARR: Wait. The movie...

EINARR: That does not look like a wolf at all. MORTEN: Oh right, we were supposed to be watching this slop...

MORTEN: .... MORTEN: Is that murderer guy seriously just a man in a cheap bunny costume? EINARR: Looks like it. MORTEN: Aaaaand all the characters are already dead. EINARR: Yes. That didn't take very long, did it?

MORTEN: And here I was actually almost looking forwards to seeing that werewolf they were going on about!! Bruh. EINARR: Budget cuts, probably. MORTEN: Sure, or it's just the film-makers' poor idea of a cool plot twist. Like wow, look! It wasn't a werewolf after all! It's just another budget scoobydoo villain, here to kill everyone... EINARR: Scooby doo was that cartoon about those kids and that talking dog, right? MORTEN: Yeah. EINARR: ... EINARR: Does... Scooby doo qualify as a "furry"?

MORTEN: That sure is a question.

-------

MORTEN: Welp, movie's over! And I just remembered that our human guests will probably want food. EINARR: Oh! True, I almost forgot about that. MORTEN: Party starts in maybe three hours. Go do your stuff while I bake Rune a cake. EINARR: Alright! Just remember, do not put on the candles. Those seem to have mysterious magical properties when placed on a cake... even a vampire can grow older from blowing those out. I've seen it happen. MORTEN: Wait, who? Vlad Straud? EINARR: Well, why do you think he looks so grey already? Vladislaus blew out those candles and now he looks like an old man. And that was the last birthday he ever celebrated. MORTEN: Alright, good to know. I do think our human guests will want cake either way! EINARR: They'll love it.

It was at this point Mort decided they actually really enjoy baking.

Meanwhile...

EINARR: BAT... How many times-

EINARR: The laundry basket is RIGHT THERE.

EINARR: It's no use. I cannot wake him until the sun is down anyway, he'll just get extremely pissy about it.

EINARR: What ever. Every day is laugardagr with these kids in the house. EINARR: It's fine. I chose to live with them.

And the cake is done. No candles, as ordered!

CONTINUE ->

[prismbearer]

Finished Act 4:

Actually loved the mechanics and vibes of Alushinyrra. Gonna miss it kinda because it was the first area that sort of felt like a city in the game with the maps we had. And it reminded me of Kirkwall somehow. Not gonna miss the energetic drain I felt towards the end as I was forcing myself to do all of the reputation quests even tho I already had Nocticula's attention etc. Also despite the concept of Trickster fitting Lev theoretically, she's starting to feel fatigued and now after meeting Nocticula it probably is putting a strain on her enjoyment of Socoblahblahs "mentorship" or whatever as she feels like he's maybe just trying to take advantage of his sister's toy to get her attention etc. So idk I wish there was more conversation about things in general after occurrences and the trickster NPCs are another example of it feeling kinda boring. I do like them however, I just think while Lev found him more entertaining before she likely feels more tired and leery now.

I would have really liked it if we got some more in-depth conversations with Arue (bc it's her hometown etc) but I also get that the whole romance thing is just a small aspect of the game. And also I ended up saying I'd be her friend etc bc this character already committed to Daeran or whatever and also I don't think Lev has the confidence in herself to be the influence that Arue thinks she could be. While she has been good-leaning she is definitely still in neutral overall I feel. Her quest with D felt pretty brutal. I do wish there was a way to help him theoretically but also Yikes some of those lines.

Sosiel's quest felt kinda rushed and empty. Maybe it's improved with the romance angle. I do wish there was generally more interactions with the companions and things you could walk into event wise and have them interacting beyond just camp and council. I was upset that his brother died but at least did so as a hero, I'll have to look into that but I'm trying not to play with any guides etc.

Battlebliss in general tbh I don't know how I was so shocked and surprised by the collar thing but I was. I kinda wish they'd extended the questline a bit for the drama but tbh better for Lev that it was an immediate escape since that was like "one fear" for her. I do love that they let you freak out and act pissed off in this game.

I really got attached to having the Hand of the Inheritor around and I'm pretty sad that he took the news of the origin of the Commander's power so rough. Tbh it kinda took Lev's slight acquired comfort with the whole good/Iomadae/heaven stuff down a lot and made her feel more comfortable playing along with evil options on presentation in the demon lord conversations. She was relieved that she didn't have to take him into account anymore when dealing with Nocticula and Areelu, but also worried about him and pissed off about him dropping his faith so fast. She really liked that open belief and support he had in her lmao. I guess she was too chaotic or something.

Still having her be respectful but ultimately kinda rebellious and stubborn with Nocticula. Lev really likes Suture and she's open to hearing Areelu out etc. Exhausted every possible Convo option and then Lev embraced the power etc. As if she ever wouldn't, especially when it's clear that she has claimed and warped it for her own purpose. She's just gonna be very careful about these supposed allies. Not surprised at all about the reveal of them being an experiment of Areelu, as they made it obvious at the lab, but I did find it interesting that it involved Nocticula so far back as well apparently throughout the Commander's life. "Like a witch from a fairytale" indeed. This is definitely gonna be slightly traumatic for Lev given the background I'm working on for her, and also it feeds into her stubbornness with Nocticula. She might go full chaotic atheist tbh.

Regill. I adore him and I'm ready for him to tattle to his command since he was open about it. Hopefully he's not gonna include the whole besties with Soco bit bc I always have him in my party and he made a comment about the friendship being alarming. 💀 I think Regill likes Lev enough that it should be okay. We'll see I'll cry if I have to kill him.

Kinda bummed Lev killed Cam bc I feel like the Abyss would have been so interesting for her. Gonna have to try that out next time for sure!

Nenio like, does she have nothing but the whole riddles quest? I was kinda bummed with her here. Maybe I just didn't have her around enough but I figured she'd be super fascinated by the Abyss, I just wish there was more personal quest content.

For Greybor, Levana doesn't really Like Him yet as a friend but she respects him somewhat. She was actually kinda disgusted he'd get involved with that assassin's guild bc she hated the leader, but she's not really a guild or organization person, despite current ties. I think she feels weird about his whole family/daughter thing.

Ember. Like bb. I feel like Lev is endlessly amused but also concerned that if she let her wander off she'd get eaten by something. She's supportive initially just to see where it's going because she has some influence etc. But tbh she's like baby sister or something.

I also wish Seelah had more going on in Act 4, but it's fine. She mostly got to chill; good for her. I guess she had the fun wedding quest prior etc.

Daeran had a lot of interesting little bits he kept tossing out I assume were an aspect of the romance. And his little rock date was adorable. I do wish there'd been a hug or a moment that was more private after battlebliss, but the quick thing was cute.

Woljif: really liked his quest, thought it was funny that he kept interjecting at the end of Act 4. For sure Lev's bratty bro. I like that he's all power of friendship. It was cute. Tbh if she goes full chaotic good by the end he'll be to blame.

Somehow all her freed slaves survived, so I'll take that as a win. My party was under exhaustion bc I sprinted there straight from fighting Baphomet and I was appalled when all the NPCs were falling in battle but apparently they weren't dying. One uplifting bit there at least. Lev would have absolutely held that against Nocticula as a petty personal slight.

The time skip there of 6 months is pretty brutal, must have sucked for the companions not in the party. I can imagine especially if you didn't travel with the LI...

Just realized I didn't go back to be mud queen demon or whatever, not sure if I needed to after killing the bosses but whatever I didn't want to risk delays causing deaths. I did go back to her after I killed the dragon at least.

I thought the random fey there were really interesting. I'm kinda pissed we didn't get to abscond with the one at battlebliss like...

Back on trickster I feel like Lev might betray the council for her own interests if the current vibe continues. We'll see what happens but the ideal for me is she regulates the wound after they transform it or whatever. They are content to let you take the risk, why not reap the rewards.

Lots of bringing up Galfrey which makes me nervous for her. Worried she's gonna become a martyr and pass the torch back as Lev returns to Drezen. Hoping that my map and troops are fucking decimated and that the demon lords are just playing mind games. Lev didn't take stepping down as an insult tbh so I'm her end she doesn't see much of an affect other than she'll be more reserved with her since Galfrey chose duty first etc. I could have liked them together, alas I assumed that her chaotic trickster stuff would be too much. And also it got weird bc Daeran.

[homemade-ghosts]

nervous 😵‍💫😵‍💫 any theories

The way I knew what video this was going to be before I even clicked on the link lmao.

I'm pretty confident that this is going to be a good finale but -- at the same time -- as far as the whole "expect the unexpected" thing goes, the cast said the exact same thing about the s2 finale and the "unexpected" ended up being them burning the Menkie's results in a pizza oven and pw running to kiss each other while clown-esque music played in the background -- so, I'll believe it when I see it.

The thing that has me the most nervous is not necessarily what they'll do with the finale, but do they have enough time to do it all? Off the top of my head we've got, in no particular order:

Nini's guest appearance + giving her a proper send off, since this is Olivia's last episode of the series

Ricky & Gina's conversation from the preview, which I assume is early in the ep/the morning of Opening Night (it sounds like Ricky thinks they're talking about his "crush" confession while Gina assumes it's about her breakup EJ -- does Ricky just know his lie was bad & thinks she saw right through it?)

"Kristoff's Lullaby" (serves as Ricky's confession to Gina? Maybe?)

"In Summer"

"Let it Go" + Kourtney's anxiety surrounding the performance

Whatever song Ricky, Gina, Corbin & Miss Jenn (+ anyone else who's out of frame) are singing at the edge of the stage

Potentially "Fixer Upper" (though we really only need to see the part right before Kristoff's Lullaby, where Anna passes out and the trolls are trying to save her)

Big Red & Ash reuniting + Ash potentially coming out to Big Red

Post-breakup closure for pw (which, if the promo is to be believed, Ricky might mistake for them getting back together)

Some hint as to what EJ is doing going forward (a job offer?)

Ricky finishing the last thing on her bucket list + (hopefully) some sort of lil birthday celebration for him

Ricky potentially telling Jet "the full story" (this is probably not happening, but it bothers me that they had Ricky say such a loaded line and never followed up with it -- so I'm putting it on the list lol)

Ricky & Gina talking about HSM opening night, finally (?) or just a general Big™ conversation between the two of them.

Whatever else Channing has up his sleeve because I know turning the lights off during Kourt's "Let it Go" can't be all he does

Set up for Maddox & Jet to transfer to East for next season

Ricky offering Gina a ride home from camp (this doesn't need to be on the list because it wouldn't take up a lot of time, but EJ drove Gina to camp and she's not going to want to spend hours in the car with him + we know Ricky drove Big Red's car to camp, so I'm gonna need a "give me a ride and we'll call it even?" parallel)

I know only some of these are guaranteed and some are just speculation based on what I think we will get, but either way, it just seems like a lot to me. If the ep drops & the runtime is less than, like, 45 minutes, I'll start sweating.

Ultimately, the only two things I'm really not expecting are 1. a Rina kiss (I know Kristoff & Anna kiss in the musical, but I'd be willing to bet they cut that part out) & 2. Some kind of HSM-related cameo (not Corbin) to set up the s4 storyline of the OG HSM cast filming a 4th movie at East High...but I guess, in order for it to be truly unexpected, it would have to be something I can't even fathom as a possibility.

No matter what happens, I can almost guarantee you that I'll be an emotional wreck by the end of it.